Preview: Italy v Samoa
Fri, 27 Nov 2009 08:53
The loss of their charismatic captain Sergio Parisse to a serious knee injury at practice on Thursday was a devastating blow to Italy as they were rounding off preparations for their Test match against Samoa in Ascoli on Saturday.
Parisse has been the class act in the Azzurri team, an exceptional leader and a loose forward of distinction, respected internationally by opponents. The injury to their skipper, which is likely to keep him out for the entire Six Nations, could hardly have come at a worse time for Italy as they focus with fierce determination on breaking their long losing streak.
Playing with great passion two weeks ago, Italy lost 6-20 to the International Rugby Board's (IRB) top-ranked team New Zealand. Last week, offering a similarly admirable level of commitment, they lost 10-32 to South Africa, who are ranked second by the IRB.
After their loss to the Springboks on Saturday coach Nick Mallett expressed his satisfaction with the team performance.
"There was no lack of desire, the defence was fantastic," he said. He rued the two missed tackles which allowed two Springbok tries and the three penalty goal attempts which were fluffed but overall was happy with his team's effort and endeavour.
In the end though, it was two more defeats for the Azzurri, who have now lost 13 consecutive Test matches and 19 of their last 21 games after beating Romania and Portugal at the 2007 World Cup. Their last victory was against Argentina in June 2008.
The bottom line is that Italy are in desperate need of a win and they will have seen Saturday's clash with Samoa as providing a timely opportunity to convert honour in defeat into a rare Test victory.
But now the sad, sudden loss of Parisse will be felt not only because of his stature as a player but perhaps even more markedly because of the value he adds as captain.
Samoa have had mixed fortunes in the last fortnight. They earned respect by giving Wales a real fright before losing 17-13 in Cardiff but then took a comprehensive thumping from France in a disappointing 43-5 defeat on Saturday.
They have won six of their 11 Tests since the 2007 World Cup but the wins have been twice against each of Tonga, Japan and Papua New Guinea. Perhaps they play too seldom against the top tier rugby nations to meet and sustain the standards required to compete at top level.
Going into this game, Samoa are ranked at No.11 by the IRB with Italy at No.12. Two countries likely to play a more closely contested game would be difficult to find.
Nick Mallett had reverted to the starting XV which did him proud against New Zealand in Milan, but he has now had to bring in Josh Sole at flank with Alessandro Zanni moving to No.8. The changes to the team which lost to South Africa should certainly strengthen the team but the whole complexion of the game changes with Parisse's injury.
Italy's strongest weapon remains their scrummaging. The All Blacks and Springboks will attest to this and the Azzurri forwards can claim with confidence that they have the strongest scrummaging pack in the Six Nations.
Martín Castrogiovanni, Leonardo Ghiraldini and Salvatore Perugini will again form a potent front and Italy will lose little if Ignacio Rouyet and Fabio Ongaro are used as second half substitutes. In fact there are those who believe they add to the power of the pack's scrummaging.
These players have all made significant impact during the November Tests and their scrummaging may be decisive against Samoa.
Italy lost four of their 12 line-outs after Victor Matfield came onto the field for South Africa last Saturday but they can usually rely on a competent line-out and powerful driving mauls off their line-outs to complement their strong scrum.
Accurate goal-kicking and kicking out of hand will be important against Samoa after they let themselves down in this respect against the Springboks. Discipline will be crucial too, as they conceded two tries last week while their over-eager miscreant Simone Favaro was sitting in the sin bin.
Samoa are sure to be as physically confrontational as is their wont in every Test match. Their most effective weapon is their ability to run at opposition defences from all angles, especially once the game has loosened up after set pieces, and the unpredictability of their attacking raids.
If they can achieve continuity in their ball-carrying from broken play they will upset the home team's defence patterns and test the Italians' ability to defend their goal-line under sustained pressure.
The perennial problem for Samoa is achieving team coordination with limited preparation time, appreciably less than that afforded the wealthier, stronger rugby nations.
Head coach Fuimaono Titimaea Tafua and assistants Masoe Selefuti Patu, Papalii Peter Fatialofa and Soifua John Schuster have the unenviable task of endeavouring to get a team to gel after gathering their players for tour from different parts of the rugby world.
Of the squad of 27 players selected for the November Tests only seven are based in Samoa, with 10 playing for clubs in the UK, five in France, four in New Zealand and one in Scotland.
With both teams having earned accolades for courage and endeavour without reward in terms of results in recent weeks, competitive commitment will be a clear focus for all 44 players. It could come down to one moment of inspiration or one crucial error, one missed tackle, or accurate goal-kicking when it counts.
With Test victories not the order of the day for either country, one team will be relieved and grateful for a win on Saturday evening and one devastated by yet another defeat. Which team is likely to be in which position is a tight call.
Players to watch:
For Italy: The accuracy of former Australia rugby league captain Craig Gower's goal-kicking and tactical kicking will be crucially important to the home team. Mauro Bergamasco brings abundant experience to the team, which could be invaluable if the game is as tight as expected. Martin Castrogiovanni has gained international recognition in recent weeks for his scrummaging for Leicester against the Springboks and for Italy against the All Blacks and Springboks. If he comes off the bench, Simone Favaro will be very keen to make amends for the costly 10 minutes he spent in the cooler last week.
For Samoa: David Lemi was a prolific try-scorer for London Wasps in the 2008/09 Guinness Premiership and is always a substantial threat on attack. Perpignan's formidable Henry Tuilagi, all of 125 kg, takes some stopping as he draws defenders onto himself, and if his teammates can run off him effectively they could wreak havoc. London Irish's George Stowers is a sometimes underrated flank who leaves a distinctive mark on every game.
Head to head: The front row contest between Martin Castrogiovanni, Leonardo Ghiraldini and Salvatore Perugini of Italy and Justin Va'a, Mahonri Schwalger and Census Johnson of Samoa will be uncompromising, with nothing meek and mild likely to be seen in any scrum in this game. Samoa locks Kane Thompson and Filipo Levi will want to make a major impact on the game, as will Italian second row forwards Quintin Geldenhuys and Carlo Antonio Del Fava, and none of the four will take a backward step if they can help it.
Previous Tests:
1995: Samoa won 42-18, East London (World Cup)
2000: Samoa won 43-24, Apia
2001: Samoa won 17-9, L'Aquila
rugby365.com Prediction: This could be a cracker of a Test match, with a confident prediction of a winner difficult indeed. Had Sergio Parisse been playing, Italy would have been more confident of scoring their first-ever win over Samoa. There is unlikely to more than a few points separating the teams at the final whistle and with Parisse out, Samoa may just edge a win.
Teams:
Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Craig Gower, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Alessandro Zanni, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Josh Sole, 5 Quintin Geldenhuys, 4 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini (captain), 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements: 16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Ignacio Rouyet, 18 Josh Sole, 19 Simone Favaro, 20 Simon Piccone, 21 Riccardo Bocchino, 22 Alberto Sgarbi.
Samoa: 15 Titi Esau, 14 Henry Fa'fili, 13 Gavin Williams, 12 Seilala Mapasua, 11 David Lemi, 10 Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu,
9 Junior Poluleuligaga, 8 Henry Tuilagi, 7 Ofisa Treviranus, 6 George Stowers (captain), 5 Kane Thompson, 4 Filipo Levi, 3 Justin Va'a, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Census Johnson
Replacements: 16 Andrew Williams, 17 Sakaria Taulafo, 18 Jonny Fa'amatuainu,, 19 Misioka Tomoteo, 20 Semiperive Semeane, 21 Uale Mai, 22 Lucky Munipola
Date: Saturday, November 28
Venue: Stadio Del Duca, Ascoli Piceno
Kick-off: 15.00 (14.00 GMT; 03.00 Samoa time)
Expected weather: Showers in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon, wind light. High: 14°C, Low: 8°
Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)
Assistant referees: James Jones (Wales), Pascal Gauzere (France)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)