Italy stun Scots with last minute comeback
Up until the 80th minute of this game, the talking point was how Italy’s lack of a reliable kicker will consistently stop them from achieving anything close to success.
But then in the final moments, after minutes of Italian pressure on the Scottish line, referee George Clancy penalised the home side for collapsing a ruck, awarded the penalty try and Italy had snuck home in the tightest of circumstances.
Scotland had admirably withstood wave after wave of pressure from the Italians and will have been utterly devastated to lose. Neither side was especially better than the other, but Scotland led for almost the entire match – only to abandon the confident, daring style of play that served them well in the first half.
Individual errors started to creep in for the home side and the Italians, whose unyielding spirit can never be called into question, inched their way forwards. Fly-halves Kelly Haimona and Tommaso Allan both missed chances from the kicking tee and, as the rain began to teem down in Edinburgh, it became apparent that the Azzurri would have to score from a set piece.
It took them a while and when the Scots turned over a fourth successive scrum on their own line, it looked like the chance had gone. But Peter Horne’s clearance kick failed to go into touch, Italy regained possession and a minute later they had won. Such are the fine margins between victory and defeat.
Missed kicks and imprecise attack cost France dear
This was not an entertaining game. Gone are the France of old, the flair-driven side who could thrill from 0 to 80 or collapse theatrically but still leave you thoroughly entertained either way. Credit is due for their win, but Wales’ tactic of sending the behemoth Jamie Roberts – or any of their other gargantuan-sized soldiers – into contact time and time again does not make for watchable rugby.
The Welsh were just about good enough value for their 13-20 win with the difference between the sides coming in the form of the irrepressible and, once again, another near flawless kicking performance from the Lion from Gorseinon.
Chances were at a premium for both sides. Any inroads Wales made into the French 22 ended with one too many surges into contact (and not space) and a subsequent spillage of the ball, or a French indiscretion which Halfpenny was more than happy to punish with a perfect kick between the posts.
France had their moments in attack. Yoann Huget capped a wonderful move in the first half only for the try to be ruled out for Camile Lopez’s forward pass, and there was a period early in the second half where they married slick handling with smart offloading and looked to be clicking into gear.
But it failed to last and Wales slowly took control. Dan Biggar latched onto Dan Lydiate’s superb pass to score in the corner, Halfpenny continued his golden form with the boot and though Brice Dulin’s try brought the Parisian crowd to life and the home side back into the game, it was a succession of missed kicks from both Lopez and Morgan Parra that ultimately cost the French.
Irish eyes are smiling as England get their tactics wrong
England will be disappointed with their performance in Dublin, as Ireland won the battle in the air to stay on course for a Grand Slam. They face two difficult away trips but a win at the Millennium Stadium next weekend will surely make them odds on favourites to get the job done in Edinburgh a week later.
For their part, it’s another opportunity spurned by England, though the title isn’t yet beyond them – a Welsh win in Cardiff in round four would blow the competition wide open. In Dublin, they got their kicking game completely wrong, sending the ball high into the air but failing to exert any chasing pressure on the Irish back three.
Their discipline let them down far too often as they gave away too many kickable penalties to Jonny Sexton but in the second half, with Sexton off, they had a chance at coming back into the game and looked threatening when the likes of Jack Nowell and Anthony Watson ran with the ball in hand. But too often the high kicks of George Ford, Ben Youngs and Alex Goode were either sent too long or weren’t chased effectively.
Sexton and Conor Murray’s used their own high ball tactic to send accurate, probing kicks into the air for the men in green, forcing Goode in particular to struggle underneath – crucially so for the match-winning try from Robbie Henshaw.
In truth, the defeat isn’t fatal for England, who have a decent chance of regrouping and winning their final two games. But for Ireland it’s a marvellous victory – their tenth in a row – and sets them up superbly for a shot at both the Grand Slam and the World Cup in the autumn.
Player of the weekend: Sergio Parisse
Italy’s Sergio Parisse could play for the All Blacks and that’s not an exaggeration. For years and years, the Italian number eight has ploughed a lone furrow, turning in displays of consistent excellence in a faltering side.
So any victory for the Azzurri must be cherished and Parisse was simply magnificent in marshalling his side to a dramatic win in the Edinburgh rain. At times he operates on a different plane of understanding to his teammates – as demonstrated by his sublime no-look back-of-the-hand pass to Leonardo Ghiraldini, which was subsequently dropped.
But in increasingly appalling conditions at Murrayfield, Parisse galvanised his team, led the charge into contact and it was he who was waiting at the back of that ruck with the ball in his hand as Italy surged for the line and were rewarded with the penalty try.
It can be tough watching him in an Italy shirt at times – the grimaces and the disappointed looks after every try conceded and game lost. But this was truly a day to savour for Italian rugby and for their magnificent captain. All hail Sergio.
Mark Tilley
Filed under: Sport
