Poms edge brave Italy

Poms edge brave Italy

14 Feb 2010

England were unconvincing 17-12 winners over Italy in Rome.

After England’s surprise win over Wales last week, their critics had called for a more attack-orientated game, especially from pivot Jonny Wilikinson. Similarly, Italy had been criticised for their unimaginative style, but in the opening half the Azzurri were the more positive side.

No 8 Alessandro Zanni was influential and although they didn’t manage to score tries, their endeavour resulted in two penalties from wing Mirco Bergamasco.

England were unsuccessful in their quest to cross the whitewash but their best chance came in the last move of the half, when Riki Flutey broke from his own half, but was pulled down on the opposition 22. The Italians eventually snuffed out the move, but not before Wilkinson – who had uncharacteristically earlier missed two attempts at goal – knocked over the penalty to level the scores 6-all at the break.

Finally the visitors broke the drought two minutes into the second half. Slick handling from the England backs and then No 8 Nick Easter put Mathew Tait away down the left touchline, and his pace meant he evaded the cross cover to score the only try of the match. England began to dominate and the Italians began to wilt under the pressure.

Martin Castrogiovanni was then yellow-carded for a cynical infringement on their own line, but being down a man spurred the hosts into life. This 10-minute period again highlighted England’s attacking deficiencies and poor ball retention as they only scored three points, with the Italians dominating possession and scoring three of their own.

With momentum swinging in their favour, the Italians continued their onslaught and Bergamasco narrowed the lead to just two with nine minutes remaining. The home crowd truly believe their greatest ever upset was on.

Wilkinson may have failed to ignite his side on attack – again taking the ball deep behind the advantage line – but he did silence the spectators with a trademark drop-goal to restore the cushion.

By Grant Ball


129 Comments

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  • 51.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:09 pm

    @poppa69: Mrs Percy, attractive (and knows it)!!
    Springbok Sarah has alerted me to the cuteness of young Mr Pietersen!! :-)

  • 52.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:11 pm

    @Michael: @45 have had the pleasure of being in Italy, have toured right through Europe, spent the most time in Croatia where the woman are gorgeous…

  • 53.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:11 pm

    @Michael: What you mean Justin Marshall? :-)

  • 54.Michael: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:13 pm

    @poppa69: I’ve never been to Croatia. I’ve been to France, Italy, Malta and Cyprus.

    @carol: Nah, to the main commentators and not the bleached-blond donut.

  • 55.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:13 pm

    @carol: just googled her, and yes, she could turn down my bed sheets of an evening :wink:

    she never misses a thing that springbok sarah lol

  • 56.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:13 pm

    @poppa69: Croatian women are partially lovely due to the complete lack of fast food outlets.
    No McDonalds, Kentucky Fried etc…..So no huge hips!!
    That’s my theory anyway!

  • 57.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:15 pm

    @Michael: I met John Inverdale, the guy who will come on at half time. He wore terrible shoes!!

  • 58.Michael: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:16 pm

    Miss miss miss come on, miss dammit. DAMN he got it.

  • 59.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:16 pm

    Wilco manages to slot that one!

  • 60.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:16 pm

    @Michael: Ive done England, Italy, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Lichtenstein, Belgium, the principality of Monte Carlo, Corfu (greek islands) and of course Croatia…

    loved every minute of it..

  • 61.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:17 pm

    @poppa69: 55. Turn down your bed sheets….very funny!

  • 62.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:18 pm

    @poppa69: Clocked up a few air miles there Poppa!!

  • 63.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:18 pm

    @carol: its a lot to do with diet.. where my baba lives a lot of the produce is homegrown and of course they eat fish daily and there was always red wine on the table, lunch and dinner… stirring memories, last there in 97..

  • 64.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:23 pm

    @carol: yep… got the travel bug young, being fortunate to do the entire length of NZ instilled the explortion gene.. Africa and Sth America my next choices, then Asian hopefully..

    half time, expect England to get a right bollocking from Johnson and eventually overcome the stubborn resistence of the Italians..

  • 65.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:24 pm

    @poppa69: Are actually in with a chance? Or are they surviving by the skin of their teeth?

  • 66.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:26 pm

    @WOLFMAN21: only going off the reports of Carol and Michael, but am now searching for a 6Ns thread to catch the second half… didnt think it would be anywhere near this at halftime..

  • 67.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:26 pm

    @WOLFMAN21: Should read Italy!

  • 68.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:28 pm

    @poppa69: Me neither, but I must say, I am pretty pleased by the scoreline so far! I’d be pretty happy if England lost this one. Would be a new low for them, and Johnson would surely have to go.

  • 69.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:31 pm

    @WOLFMAN21: I think its an indication that Johnson is not a coach, how one gets the national team without doing the apprenticeship must raise serious questions for their fans…

  • 70.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:32 pm

    Phew..Italy missed a kick!

  • 71.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:33 pm

    Try, Tait for England..

  • 72.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:33 pm

    @WOLFMAN21: did you find a thread to watch the game Wolfman?

  • 73.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:34 pm

    @carol: have England been pressing the entire game carol? or has it been evenly matched? I assume England have been camped inside Italys half for most of the game..

  • 74.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:35 pm

    @poppa69: Yep, it certainly is a case of reputation getting him the job and keeping him in the job.

    Its not only a problem at national level though. There are a lot of ex players who get given Super 14 jobs without cutting their teeth at lower levels, and this doesn’t often work.

    People like Naka Drotske and Pat Lam spring to mind here.

  • 75.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:36 pm

    @poppa69: We are lucky here being so close to the rest of Europe, however have only seen Africa on The Lions Tour.
    Fark…Jonnie misses again!!

  • 76.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:36 pm

    @poppa69: I haven’t looked tonight, am supposed to be “working”, but I normally go on Justin tv. They often have a link running there.

    Have you found one?

  • 77.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:37 pm

    @poppa69: Bit embarrasing, Italy looking quite useful except at their line outs!

  • 78.Nils: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:38 pm

    2 kicks out of 5 or 6 today for “the best” JW?

  • 79.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:38 pm

    So as it sits Italy 6 England 11

  • 80.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:39 pm

    @WOLFMAN21: was in the same class at school with Pat Lam… hes got to go this year if the blues perform like they did last year… stop gap solutions, rather then building a foundation, as the bulls and crusaders have rightfully done…

    @carol: yes, I would enjoy being able to pack up and skip across 3 countries for a week or so.. long flight from Aus and NZ :D

  • 81.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:42 pm

    @WOLFMAN21: cant find one that is actually working..

    @carol: as Big Hit says, its only world cups that count :D lol

  • 82.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:42 pm

    Justin Marshall’s hair streaks are not good!
    Note to cameraman, no closeups…

  • 83.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:43 pm

    @carol: Justin Marshall is a pretty boy, self indulgent ponce… could play rugby though..

  • 84.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:46 pm

    @poppa69: WRS and I off skiing to Italy shortly! Great food and snow!

    Why do we give pretty boys in rugby such a hard time!!
    Only players with fake tans need a good ribbing! ;-)

  • 85.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:47 pm

    @poppa69: Typical pretty boy rugby player though, starts his career with good features, finishes it looking like a Picasso.

    Is Andy Ellis his love child?

  • 86.WP_: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:47 pm

    Come on Italy!

    Do us all a favour here! :)

  • 87.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:48 pm

    Jonny down…ohh, up…and limping…he likes to do this to us! :neutral:

  • 88.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:49 pm

    @WP_: won’t be doing me any favours! :-(

  • 89.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:50 pm

    Jonny scores!!! Yeyyyy

  • 90.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:51 pm

    Italy 14 – 6 England

  • 91.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:51 pm

    OOps wrong way round …sorry

  • 92.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:51 pm

    @carol: It might just get you a new coach.

  • 93.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:53 pm

    @WOLFMAN21: :lol: still, the picasso features has nothing on the cauliflower ears..

    Ellis cant be, if he is he must have inherited his mothers rugby game..

    @carol: food is excellent there… not sure on the skiing, but I studied art history at school, a lot of the renaissance period, so for that aspect Italy was one of my favourite places.. Sistene Chapel, Michaelangelos Dome.. just mindblowing…

  • 94.carol: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:55 pm

    Visitors here, they better want to watch the end of of the match..

  • 95.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 17:56 pm

    @carol: dont answer the door for another 20 minutes or so

  • 96.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 18:01 pm

    cant find a stream to watch this match.. :(

  • 97.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 18:05 pm

    @poppa69: Did you have a look on Justin TV?

  • 98.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 18:07 pm

    @WOLFMAN21: yeah, there are a couple but none work…

  • 99.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 18:07 pm

    Italy 2 points behind… damn, missing what could be one of the biggest boilovers of the century..

  • 100.WOLFMAN21: Reply to this comment
    14 Feb 2010, 18:09 pm

    @poppa69: Hope they sneak it with a Jonny Wilkonson special

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