Italy end tour as they started - with a loss

8.30pm

Italy completed their brief rugby tour of New Zealand just as they began it - with a loss - in Hamilton today.

The Italians went down 3-23 to Waikato to end a 14-day playing schedule in this country with two wins and three losses.

The final margin arguably flattered Waikato, a respected force in the domestic NPC first division rugby ranks who did not impose themselves on the game until the closing quarter.

Italy treated this game as the "unofficial test" of the tour and their endeavour, commitment and determination couldn't be faulted although they let themselves down by not treating the ball with the respect it deserved on a windy, rainy day.

They competed tigerishly throughout and only late tries to Waikato centre Keith Lowen and right wing David Johnston carried the home side clear.

Both tries had a touch of luck about them. Lowen chipped ahead in the 60th minute and a fortunate deflection off an Italian defender allowed him to regather and score.

In Johnston's case, he ran straight and hard when a clearing kick from first five-eighth Ramiro Pez was sliced infield in the 78th minute.

Waikato suffered an early disruption to their plans when first five-eighth David Hill was stretchered from the field in the fifth minute with an ankle injury.

Fullback Loki Crichton assumed the goalkicking duties, performing admirably to record five-from-five with three penalties and two conversions.

Pez had the first opportunities to score but pushed wide penalty attempts in the eighth and 19th minutes.

Italian No 8 Matthew Phillips came close to breaking the deadlock in the 27th minute after detaching from a maul but the Waikato cover hauled him across the left corner touchline.

The first half looked destined to end scoreless before Crichton landed his first penalty in injury time to see Waikato turn around 3-0 ahead.

Italy were down to 14 men for the opening 10 minutes of the second half after hardworking flanker Aaron Persico was sinbinned by referee Steve Walsh immediately before the break for persistent infringing in rucks.

Waikato were not able to ram home their numerical advantage, increasing their lead only by another Crichton penalty in the 48th minute before he kicked his third seven minutes later to nudge Waikato out to a 9-3 advantage.

Tries to Lowen and Johnston followed to round out the scoring.

The Italians were combative up front against the Waikato forwards, giving as good as they received as small fights broke out later in the second half.

Walsh reacted by sinbinning rival hookers Scott Linklater and Fabio Ongaro.


Both Italian coach John Kirwan and captain Alessandro Troncon rated today's performance their best defensive effort on tour.

"I'm obviously disappointed with the result today because I felt we played a lot better than the result indicated," Kirwan said.

"I thought it was outstanding defence, especially in the first half, but I thought we were sloppy on attack.

"We've come down here to put some of those things right and if we can keep improving that defence we'll be hard to knock over. We've just got to keep working hard.

"I'm pretty relaxed about the result. I think we've got better every game and that's what we're here for."

All but two of today's starting 15 backed up from Wednesday night's win over Taranaki in New Plymouth as Kirwan and his management team tried to duplicate the tough schedule, with short turnarounds, they will have at the World Cup in Australia in October and November.

"They're a tired football team but that's what we're here for because that's what's going to happen (at the cup)," Kirwan said.

Waikato coach Ian Foster said he was pretty stoked by his side's first-up effort for the season and impressed with the Italian team's improvement.

"They really chucked a lot at us. Their defence was pretty organised and for our team, who haven't had a lot of chance to get a lot of patterns going, I was impressed with our patience with the ball.

"It took a while to break them down but it was pleasing in the last 20 to get a couple of tries and push away," Foster said.

- NZPA