LONDON – Italy Coach Jacques Brunel will be almost forced to play injured captain Sergio Parisse against Ireland whether the veteran is fit or not after Italy just edged Canada 23-18 in a tight contest at Elland Road on Saturday.
In an often frantic game, tackling was almost optional as Canada scored one of the tries of the tournament to date. Off the ensuing kick-off, Italy hit straight back which is indicative of the type of game it was.
With 30 minutes to go, it was the Canucks who almost put the game out of the Italians’ reach with a try down the right hand side however it was disallowed due to a forward pass.
It’s not unfair to say that Italy were extremely disappointing as they fell off tackles, dropped passes and continually made schoolboy errors that allowed Canada to get parity in the match.
Taking nothing away from Canada who largely out-scrummed one of the best packs in Europe, they played a game style based around pinning Italy back into their own half which paid dividends.
In an ending that reflected Italy’s benign play, they opted to take three points after being awarded a penalty after the full time siren had sounded.
Doing no favours for the pro side of the debate regarding their inclusion in the 6 Nations, Italy’s display rendered their quarter final hopes a mere pipe dream.