Genoa – The dream of concluding this Autmn Internationals 2022 undefeated for the Italy of rugby fades after half an hour of the first half. Italy South Africa rugby ends 21 to 63 and if it weren’t for the previous matches and for the aforementioned half hour we could safely say that South Africa brought us back, sadly and mournfully, to earth. In the usual condition of Italian rugby, or rather the one in which we suffer defeats from the most sportingly advanced nations.
Yet not everything is to be thrown away in this match in Genoa, which comes after the successes against Samoa and Australia (heavyweight) and which interrupts a streak of victories that we had never recorded before.
As we were saying, the first part of the match in which Italy, driven by the enthusiasm of the previous results, put South Africa in difficulty, which in turn is still struggling with the nightmares that arose from the defeats against Ireland and France. But our Italy is not the two strongest nations in the world at the moment. Kolisi and his companions soon understood this. Yet the Azzurri had started well. After Arendse’s goal in the 2nd minute, Allan’s kick arrives, Kolbe’s answer, and Capuozzo’s goal launched by Lamaro in the 12th minute. The Frenchman shows that he possesses a dash that strikes, outruns the direct markers and dunks on the left. He transforms Allan and after a quarter of an hour of play we are up 13 to 8.
The boks don’t fit in and bring it on; the Azure resistance is excellent. In the 25th minute a goal by Kolbe shortened the gap (13-11), but it was only around 30′ that the light went out for us. Throw-in from 5 meters for the South Africans and Mbonambi crushes in goal from the maul. Kolbe converts and we are 13-18, a score that closes the first half.
In the second half, Italy appears able to get back into the game. Allan’s punishment brings us back momentarily below; it’s a flash in the pan. On the second half of the game, one of those things that can only be seen on the mini-rugby pitches happens: Kolbe snatches the ball from Morisi’s hands, who was too weak to catch in flight, and flies into goal. Goals from Arendse (50′), Libbok (56′), Marx on an advancing maul (63′), Kitshoff (70′), Willemse (73′) and Reinach (80′) follow. A long streak of scoring, both from the maul and on the wings, interrupted only by the second Italian try, with Cannone, in the 66th minute… not enough to be happy.
