Another commendable Uruguay performance, another far more established rugby nation given an anxiety-inducing examination on the biggest stage. Searching questions were asked, mistakes were forced, and half-time daylight created on the scoreboard for the South Americans as they searched for a fourth win at a Rugby World Cup.
In the end, Italy earned the right to canter over the line in a relentlessly pulsating match. It was to their credit that they refused to panic and eventually wore down Uruguay with precise tactical kicking, powerful carrying and, most notably, an admirable willingness to run the ball from all over.
They scored five tries and the supremely gifted Tommaso Allan is 13 from 13 off the tee at the tournament. The road now gets steeper for Italy, with matches against New Zealand and France to come, but they have a platform.
There would be no excuses here about a slippery ball despite a heavy cloudburst on the clammy Côte d’Azur that soaked incoming supporters. From the moment the full-back, Ange Capuozzo, caught the kick off and Italy ran from their own 22, their intentions were clear.
Paolo Garbisi immediately conceded a penalty, missed by the Uruguay fly-half Felipe Etcheverry. Lorenzo Pani soon punished him by twisting over the line for the opening score, converted by Allan. Eagerness to run from deep cost Italy when Etcheverry intercepted a pass just outside the 22. The resulting punishment would be a penalty try and two yellow cards, first for Niccolò Cannone, then Danilo Fischetti. Risk and reward? Mainly risk.
It got worse for Italy when Etcheverry offloaded to the wing, Nicolás Freitas, who darted over. Etcheverry smacked a tough conversion through the middle before belting over an audacious drop goal. The score read 17-7 at half-time and the tournament’s first bona fide shock beckoned.
The pendulum soon swung back in Italy’s favour, though. Andrés Vilaseca was sent to the sin bin, subject to review, after his shoulder made contact with Pani’s head. It stayed yellow. Giacomo Nicotera looked to have scored a pushover try for Italy but the TMO adjudged it held up.
Lorenzo Cannone, the No 8, was soon crunching into contact in the 22 and Italy kept the ball moving for the skipper, Michele Lamaro, to power for the line. Allan, of course, added the extras and it was a three-point deficit for Italy.
A tiring, increasingly ragged Uruguay defence then shipped tries to Monty Ioane – a livewire throughout – Lorenzo Cannone and Juan Ignacio Brex. When Paolo Garbisi clipped a penalty over with 10 minutes left the scoring was complete. Tougher tests to come, and all that, but this was a proper test passed.
“Credit to Uruguay, they put us under pressure,” said Kieran Crowley, Italy’s head coach. “At half-time we said: ‘We’re not about to chase the game.’ We needed to take it a little bit more direct.”
Before the match Crowley had spoken of Uruguay’s need to play more matches against tier one opposition, and his Los Teros counterpart, Esteban Meneses, picked up the theme. “We have been asking for more games [against top nations] to be more well prepared for World Cups,” Meneses said. “We did our best [tonight] and we have a lot of potential – but we need to compete many times against stronger opposition.”
Laudably, despite that deeply concerning half-time scoreline, Crowley insisted he will continue to back his squad to play their natural game. “You’re not going to score tries if you don’t take risks,” he said. Amen to that.
