Italy secured a 38-17 victory over Uruguay at the Rugby World Cup at Stade de Nice. Although the scoreline may deceive casual fans, the Azzurri were staring down the barrel of defeat at the end of the first half.
The second half featured a complete turn-around, with Italy scoring 31 points on the trot, ensuring their second consecutive bonus-point win and giving them the lead in Pool A of the Rugby World Cup.
Uruguay had a double-digit lead going into the second half and seemed assured of an upset for the ages as the Italians had a first half marred by yellow cards for two of their players.
Italy now leads the standings in Pool A with 10 points, but the Kieran Crowley-led team still needs to face the two favorites to advance, France and New Zealand.
Italy comeback in the second half
In their second-ever face-off, Uruguay had a runaway first half, taking a 17-7 lead with Italy left with only 13 players on the field.
The Italians fought back in the second half, with Danilo Fischetti, the prop, and second-row Niccolo Cannone both coming back onto the field after serving their yellow card penalties.
The second period saw Italy power ahead with four converted tries
Uruguay previously gave France the strong favorites to advance a tough fight in a 27-12 defeat in Lille. Against Italy, they conceded an early converted try. A TMO review confirmed that Italian winger Lorenzo Pani had grounded the ball.
Fischetti was yellow carded for handling in a ruck, which allowed Uruguay to come to level terms with a penalty try awarded by referee Angus Gardner.
A second yellow followed for the Italians, with Niccolo Cannone being carded for a deliberate infringement at the breakdown.
Nicolas Freitas then added to Uruguay’s score with another try, which was converted by Felipe Etchverry, before the latter added a drop goal, further extending the Uruguayan lead before the end of the first half.
Early into the second half, Uruguayan captain Andres Vilaseca was sin-binned, as Italy fought back, scoring four tries in the span of 15 minutes.
Michele Lamaro, Monty Ioane, Cannone, and Ignacio Brex all scored with converted tries, causing the scoreboard to shift 35-17 in favor of the Italians.
Paolo Garbisi scored via a late penalty, further adding to the misery of the Uruguayans.
Italy now faces a stern challenge as they face New Zealand in Lyon on the 29th of September, while Uruguay goes up against Namibia in Lyon on the 27th of September.
Both matches carry immense importance as teams look to secure a spot in the knockout stages of the tournament.
Italy 38-17 Uruguay score summary
Italy: Tries – Michele Lamaro, Monty Ioane, Lorenzo Cannone, and Juan Ignacio Brex; Conversions – Tommaso Allan (5); Penalty – Paolo Garbisi.
Uruguay: Try – Penalty, Nicolas Freitas; Conversion – Felipe Etcheverry; Drop-goal – Felipe Etcheverry.
