Road to Rugby World Cup 2007

[KURTANGLE]

grandissimi giocatori entrambi
scusate ma ci sara' ancora quel dio di LARKAM?

[Manchester]

grandissimi giocatori entrambi
scusate ma ci sara' ancora quel dio di LARKAM?

gioca gioca

se non facciamo la cagata di giocare troppo lenti nella trasmissione apertura-1° o 2° centro siamo già avanti

[Manchester]

io andrò a vedere la partita

ma soprattutto, visto il mio ruolo, seguirò il mitico TUQIRI....

fantastico anche MORTLOCK

sarà sicuramente una partita divertente, dai!

W il rugby, troppo bello come sport...

Bergamasco Brothers RULEZ

che Webb Ellis ci assista

[KURTANGLE]

a me piace anche Perugini

[Manchester]

a me piace anche Perugini

squalificato per testata a uno del munster in HC

[Manchester]

Preview - Italy v Australia


Thursday November 09 2006
Wallabies seeking first win on tour

Australia will be looking to put their winless tour behind them and pull off a victory against Italy when the two sides face each other at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome on Saturday.

Mirco Bergamasco: Mixes flair with strong running


The Wallabies have not had the best of starts to their annual end-of-year European tour by any means, succumbing to a midweek loss and a Test draw in Wales over the weekend.
The midweek defeat was an embarrassing 24-16 defeat to Welsh region the Ospreys, and the next winless score was the thrilling 29-29 draw with Wales at the Millennium Stadium on November 4.
Of course it was an Australia 'A' team that lost the midweek battle, but certainly no excuse for a two-times Rugby World Cup winning country.
For a country rated fourth in the IRB rankings, it would only be assumed that the quality of depth in the Wallaby ranks would be anything but limited.
Most touring teams such as New Zealand, South Africa and even Argentina are using their squad depth to the max in preparation for the Rugby World Cup in France next year.
So alarm bells must surely be ringing in the Australia camp with the Rugby World Cup literally just around the corner.
However, with the excruciating number of injuries to hit the men in green and gold during this past season, their back-up in key positions has definitely been put to the test.
Even before the tourists departed their Australian shores for a gruelling seven-match trip of Europe, their injury plague had already begun to take its toll in key positions.
With the Aussie doctors probably having more players in their waiting room than in Wallaby coach John Connolly's squad, it can certainly prove to be a frustrating tour to say the least.
Saying that, this is a one-in-a-million opportunity for the courageous Italian side to kick a team when it's down and perhaps run their visitors to a close shave - at least -in their historic backyard.
The Azzurri are definitely a team on the up and would want to show their worth after recently claiming a spot in next year's Rugby World Cup.
Italy stepped up to the plate in the Six Nations earlier this year and performed strongly against every team, leading against England, France, Scotland and Ireland in the first half of their respective Tests.
They did, finally, get a creditable 18-18 draw away to Wales, their first ever away point in the tournament, and were unlucky not to draw with Scotland in Rome in the final game, losing 10-13 courtesy of a late Scottish penalty.
So Italian coach Pierre Berbizier will see the 2006 Six Nations wooden spoon as a sign of improvement rather than a utensil to stir his pasta with.
However, the Frenchman has decided against blooding his youngsters and instead opted for experience in naming his starting side for Saturday's big encounter.
Berbizier was expected to spring some surprises after packing his squad with many of Italy's brightest young talents, but in the end chose only one player - 22-year-old flanker Alessandro Zanni, who has less than 10 caps to his name.
The hosts have also suffered their fair share of bad luck heading into the gladiatorial battle in Rome this weekend.
Prop Salvatore Perugini was slapped with a five-week ban after being found guilty of head-butting an opponent in a Heineken Cup match three weeks ago.
The 30 capped veteran is a major blow to the Italian set-up, who rely heavily on their old guns for their experience in big Test matches like this one.
While one team's loss is another team's gain, Australia will have a big smile on their dial with the return of skipper Stirling Mortlock to wreak havoc in the midfield.
The star centre was forced into surgery on his knee after the side's 24-16 Tri-Nations loss against South Africa at Ellis Park in September.
Of course this means a small reshuffle in the visitors backline that sees the dangerous Lote Tuqiri shift from outside centre to his preferred spot on the wing.
Mortlock's partner in crime in the midfield will be Stephen Larkham, who's suitability in the inside lane rather than his regular pivotal role, will again be tested.
At fly-half, Mat Rogers can certainly add more pace from that particular channel of attack - though the real threat is still yet to be seen.
With Mortlock missing in action last week, Wales did a stirling job (excuse the pun) keeping the Australian backline at bay.
Whether Italy can do the same is questionable considering the whopping 11 tries conceded the last time the two sides met in Melbourne last year.
The most peculiar change in the Wallaby line-up sees two-try scoring hero Cameron Shepherd dropping down to the bench.
South African export Clyde Rathbone should consider himself a touch lucky judging from his quiet performance last week, whilst Shepherd will no doubt be aggrieved about the odd decision.
In the forwards, overlooked quality ball fetcher George Smith takes over from stand-in captain Phil Waugh on the flank.
Line-out kingpin and vice-captain Dan Vickerman is another absentee from the Australia line-up.
The quality lock, also hailing from South Africa, will be watching from his hospital bed in Sydney after reconstruction surgery was done on his shoulder after the Wales Test.
This will signal a bit of a problem in the Australia line-out with their number one jumper out injured, leaving ACT Brumbies second rower Mark Chisholm with mighty big boots to fill.
Of course this is another area the Azzurri can aim to build their attacking platform from, with Gloucester lock and captain Marco Bortolami leading the way as he has done so many times already.
But Bortolami can't do it on his own, he will need every player in the infamous blue jerseys to step up for the challenge just like they have done with their European counterparts.
If they don't, it will be one way traffic from an Australia side desperate to score a fair amount of tries and get their first tour win on the map this year.
The last time rugby between these two was played at the Stadio Flaminio was 18 years ago when Italy were once again on the receiving end of a Wallaby trashing, but whether history will repeat itself remains to be seen.
Though we can't deny an Australia victory, we can say that it will be a close fight... for the first sixty minutes at least!
Players to watch:
For Italy: His name has already been mentioned as the cornerstone of a young Italian team full of potential for the future. Marco Bortolami is Italy's youngest ever captain and at 25 years of age and 54 caps already behind him, the towering lock will be a thorn in many opposition's teams for many years to come.
For Australia: Stirling Mortlock is back and he's hungry to make up for lost time. The Wallaby veteran's absence from the Wales Test was notable in terms of keeping his side cool headed when the going got tough. His defence has never been short of perfect and his ability to put his wingers away from clean breaks has earned the star centre to be labeled as one of the best out there at the moment. His goalkicking is also invaluable to his team's cause, though Matt Giteau isn't too far behind his skipper.
Head to head: Mirco Bergamasco (Italy) v Stephen Larkham (Australia): Italy inside centre Mirco Bergamasco was the find of the Six Nations tournament this year. The Stade Français midfielder mixes flair with strong running and solid defence with the perfect balance. He will be attacking his opposite number Stephen Larkham with immediate effect, with an attempt to rattle the Wallaby No.12 early on in the opening exchanges. Larkham's experience will undoubtedly be in his favour as the Australia Test veteran reaches 83 caps and counting for his country. The time to put Larkham's new inside centre role to the test is now, unless Bergamasco has anything to do about it.
Prediction: Italy will be the same brave side they have been so far this year. The stage has been set for what should be an enthralling game of rugby if the Azzurri can hold off an Australian onslaught for more than the first half. Unfortunatelly, just like many times before, the visitors will get a firm grip of the game - if not late in the first then definitely in the second - and cause another falling of Rome. Australia by 20 points.
Recent Results:
2005: Australia won 21-69 at Colonial Stadium, Melbourne
2002: Australia won 3-34 at Genoa
1996: Australia won 18-40 at Padua
1994: Australia won 7-20 at Olympic Park, Melbourne
1994: Australia won 20-23 at Ballymore, Brisbane
1988: Australia won 6-55 at Stadio Flaminio, Rome
1986: Australia won 18-39 at Ballymore, Brisbane
1983: Australia won 7-29 at Rovigo
The teams:
Italy: 15 Gert Peens, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 11 Pablo Canavosio; 10 Ramiro Pez, 9 Paul Griffen; 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Santiago Dellape, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Carlos Nieto, 18 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 19 Josh Sole, 20 Simon Picone, 21 Andrea Scanavacca, 22 Walter Pozzebon.
Australia: 15 Chris Latham, 14 Clyde Rathbone, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Steven Larkham, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Mat Rogers, 9 Matt Giteau, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Brendan Cannon, 1 Al Baxter
Replacements: 16, Stephen Moore, 17 Nic Henderson, 18 Alistair Campbell, 19 Stephen Hoiles, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Mark Gerrard, 22 Cameron Shepherd.
Date: Saturday 11 November
Venue: Stadio Flaminio, Rome
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges: Alan Lewis (Ireland), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Television match official: tba
Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)
By Dave Morris

Fonte: www.planet-rugby.com

[KURTANGLE]

squalificato per testata a uno del munster in HC

muahahahha

[Manchester]

JAGUAR TEST MATCH ITALIA - AUSTRALIA 18-25 11/11/2006 - 19:10
SABATO AL FLAMINIO GLI AZZURRI CONTRO L'ARGENTINA
Roma – La Nazionale Italiana di Pierre Berbizier spaventa l’Australia e, nonostante la sconfitta per 18-25 subita oggi al Flaminio di Roma, dimostra di aver mosso un nuovo, importante passo in avanti nel proprio percorso di crescita. I vice-campioni del Mondo hanno sofferto, forse ancor più di quanto dica il risultato, riuscendo ad assicurarsi la vittoria solo a meno di dieci minuti dalla fine.

La partenza era stata tutta italiana, con gli Azzurri abili ad approfittare della superiorità numerica maturata dopo soli 2’ per un colpo al volto inferto dal tallonatore australiano Cannon al centro dell’Italia Canale: tra il quarto ed il quindicesimo minuto l’Australia era costretta al fallo in quattro occasioni, per tre volte l’apertura Ramiro Pez centrava i pali e portava l’Italia sul 9-0.

Al 21’, iniziava la rimonta australiana, con Mortlock che centrava i pali sul primo fallo concesso dall’Italia riducendo le distanze. Ma era il pacchetto italiano a salire in cattedra, mettendo in difficoltà in più occasioni gli otto avanti Wallabies: arrivava un nuovo centro su punizione di Ramiro Pez, che riportava l’Italia a +9, sul 12-3. L’Australia provava a lanciare i propri trequarti, e trovava il varco giusto al 27’: azione al largo, palla all’apertura Mat Rogers e meta quasi in mezzo ai pali. Mortlock trasformava e portava il XV allenato da John Connolly a due lunghezze dall’Italia, 12-10. Il primo vantaggio Wallaby giungeva a sette minuti dal termine della prima frazione di gioco, dopo un fallo fischiato nelle profondità della metà campo italiana, che Mortlock capitalizzava. Sotto per 12-13, Bortolami e compagni non si perdevano d’animo e, nonostante qualche problema che emergeva nelle rimesse laterali, continuavano a mostrare voglia di lottare. Il piazzato di Pez allo scadere della prima frazione di gioco permetteva all’Italia di andare a riposo in vantaggio 15-13, con la piena consapevolezza di poter tentare la grande impresa.

Le ambizioni Azzurre subivano un duro colpo dopo appena due minuti della ripresa, quando il pilone Sheperdson approfittava di un rimbalzo favorevole dopo una touche nei pressi dell’area di meta italiana e toccava al di là della linea.

La reazione italiana non si faceva attendere, a testimonianza di una crescita non solo tecnica ma anche mentale degli uomini di Berbizier: il sesto centro di Pez su punizione riportava il XV di casa a due punti dall’Australia, 18-20.

L’Italia fiutava l’impresa, l’Australia dopo il pareggio di Cardiff della settimana scorsa temeva un nuovo risultato non in linea con le aspettative di questo tour e provava a spingere sull’acceleratore. Anche il pacchetto di mischia “aussie”, sino a quel momento in seria difficoltà di fronte ad un pack Azzurro che si confermava di altissimo livello, trovava la forza per mettere in crisi in alcune occasioni gli otto uomini della mischia guidata dal tecnico Carlo Orlandi e diventava la base per il break del terza centro Palu. Il numero 8 gialloverde trovava campo aperto nella difesa italiana e serviva in ultima battuta il capitano Stirling Mortlock, che marcava la meta del 18-25.

Bortolami e compagni non demordevano, e chiudevano in avanti, senza riuscire però a trovare il varco giusto nella difesa australiana, che avrebbe potuto dare loro la meta del pareggio.

Sabato prossimo, ancora al Flaminio, l’Italia tornerà in campo contro l’Argentina, oggi vittoriosa a Twickenham contro l’Inghilterra 18-25.

Roma, Stadio Flaminio – sabato 11 novembre 2006
Jaguar Test Match
ITALIA – AUSTRALIA 18-25 (15-13)
ITALIA: Peens; Stanojevic, Canale, Bergamasco Mi., Canavosio; Pez, Griffen; Parisse S., Bergamasco Ma., Zanni (13’ st. Sole); Bortolami (cap), Dellapè; Castrogiovanni Mar. (13’ st. Nieto), Festuccia, Lo Cicero
AUSTRALIA: Latham; Rathbone, Mortlock (cap), Larkham, Tuqiri; Rogers, Giteau; Palu (2’-15’ pt. Moore), Smith, Elsom; Chisholm (36’ st. Campbell), Sharpe; Sheperdson (36’ st. Henderson), Cannon, Baxter
ARBITRO: Owens (Galles)
MARCATORI: p.t. 4’ cp. Pez (3-0); 10’ cp. Pez (6-0); 15’ cp. Pez (9-0); 21’ cp. Mortlock (9-3); 26’ cp. Pez (12-3); 27’ m. Rogers tr. Mortlock (12-10); 33’ cp. Mortlock (12-13); 39’ cp. Pez (15-13); s.t. 2’ m. Sheperdson tr. Mortlock (15-20); 16’ cp. Pez (18-20); 31’ m. Mortlock (18-25)
NOTE: 22.000 spettatori circa, 2’ pt. giallo Cannon (pugno), 39’ st. giallo Tuqiri (antigioco)



fonte: www.federugby.it ©

[Manchester]

ustralia made to sweat by Azzurri

Saturday November 11 2006
Late try seals Wallaby winAustralia captain Stirling Mortlock scored a late try to seal a narrow 25-18 win fover Italy at Stadio Flaminio in Rome on Saturday. The Wallabies outscored the home side by three tries to none, but six penalties by fly-half Ramiro Pez kept the Azzurri in the hunt and the heat on the visitors.


The Australians were made to sweat and at times made to look very ordinary by an Italian team that deserved more than they got on the day.
It was a game in which the Wallabies' shortcomings were exposed like never before - their suspect scrum was destroyed by the powerful Italian pack on a number of occasions and they also struggled to contain the impressive Italian mauls.
But the biggest flaw in the Australian game is that they offered very little other than their predicable phase play, which the Italians found relatively easy to defend against.
If you want to know where the tries came from - well one was a bad Italian tap in the line-out, the other a great bust up the midfield from Wycliff Palu and only one of the three came from sustained phase play.
But enough about the Wallaby shortcomings - let's talk about the Italian performance.
They have an awesome pack, which will hold its own in any competition. Their line-outs may not be so flash, but they will get enough from this phase if they can concentrate for 80 minutes.
And it was those momentary lapses of concentration that probably cost the Azzurri the game.
The early passages were controlled by the Italians, who took the ball up strongly and moved it from side to side.
They were soon rewarded for their efforts, when the Australians were penalised and hooker Brendan Cannon yellow carded for what seemed a harmless push.
Fly-half Ramiro Pez pushed this effort wide, but he slotted the next three - in the fifth, 11th minutes and 15th minutes - to give his team a handy 9-0 lead.
The Wallabies had their chances, but they were squandered rather amateurishly - once Chris Latham dropped the ball over the tryline. They were prone to handling errors and as the scoreline suggested they were heavily penalised.
Australia finally got onto the scoreboard in the 21st minute, following a rare passage of sustained ball control, and captain Stirling Mortlock wasted no time in slotting the penalty to narrow the gap to 9-3.
But the Australian scrum, which has been under pressure, crumbled in the 24th minute as the Italians just marched upfield. The mess of a scrum soon turned into an Italian, penalty, which Pez duly slotted.
The Australians finally got their hands on the ball and put a few phases together, before fly-half Mat Rogers slipped over for a great try in the 27th minute. The decisive pass came from inside centre Stephen Larkham, who drew the defence as Rogers looped around.
Mortlock added the conversion and kicked a penalty six minutes later - following another period of sustained pressure and phase play - for the Wallabies to take the lead for the first time.
But the Italians were not done yet and right on the stroke of half-time, as they marched upfield with another impressive maul, they were awarded a penalty - which Pez slotted to regain the lead, 15-13 at the break.
The Australians were first to score after the break, but it was a fortuitous score - with an Italian line-out going badly wrong, the tap finding a charging Guy Shepherdson, who just flopped over for the try. Mortlock added the conversion to make it 20-15 in favour of the Wallabies after 44 minutes.
Pez had a chance to narrow the gap six minutes later, but he pushed a relatively easy shot at goal wide of the upright. But he slotted one from a similar distance and angle in the 56th minute, to narrow the gap to 20-18.
But the crucial score came from the Australians in the 70th minute, with captain Stirling Mortlock going over for a great try, following a powerful midfield run by No.8 Wycliff Palu. But Mortlock couldn't add the conversion, leaving the backdoor open for the Italians at 25-18.
The Italians tried bravely, but the Wallabies hung on to the end for a hard-earned win.
Man of the match: You can look at Italian fly-half Ramiro Pez for his great goal-kicking, or even the front row of Martin Castrogiovanni, Carlo Festuccia and Andrea Lo Cicero for their powerful scrummaging performance. No.8 Sergio Parisse also had a strong performance, as did his Australian counterpart Wycliff Palu. Stephen Larkham and Mat Rogers had their moments, but out award goes to the captain Stirling Mortlock and it is not just for his match-clinching try. As usual he put his body on the line for his country.
Moment of the match: It simply has to be Stirling Mortlock's 70th minute try, not only because it sealed the win, but also for Wycliff Palu's great midfield bust.
Villains of the match: There were two yellow card - Brendan Cannon for punching and Lote Tuqiri for a professional foul. But Lote Tuqiri deserves the award on his own. He was involved in off the ball stuff far too often.
The scorers:
For Italy:
Pens: Pez 6
For Australia:
Tries: Rogers, Shepherdson, Mortlock
Cons: Mortlock 2
Pens: Mortlock 2
Yellow cards: Brendan Cannon (Australia, 3 mins - punching), Lote Tuqiri (Australia, 79 - professional foul)
Italy: 15 Gert Peens, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 11 Pablo Canavosio, 10 Ramiro Pez, 9 Paul Griffen, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Santiago Dellapè, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Carlos Nieto, 18 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 19 Josh Sole, 20 Simon Picone, 21 Andrea Scanavacca, 22 Walter Pozzebon.
Australia: 15 Chris Latham, 14 Clyde Rathbone, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Steven Larkham, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Mat Rogers, 9 Matt Giteau, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Brendan Cannon, 1 Al Baxter.
Replacements: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 Nic Henderson, 18 Alistair Campbell, 19 Stephen Hoiles, 20 Josh Valentine, 21 Mark Gerrard, 22 Cameron Shepherd.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges: Alan Lewis (Ireland), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)

[Manchester]

All Blacks wreak havoc in Lyon

Saturday November 11 2006
France silenced by the Men in BlackNew Zealand recorded a terrific win over France, on Saturday with the visitors comprehensively beating their hosts 47-3 at a rain-soaked Stade Gerland in Lyon.


New Zealand on the charge: Jerry Collins brushes off French tackles

There were enough sporting/rugbying clichés attached to the build-up to this match to create a useful little lexicon of phrases for commentators and journalists to use in the future. In the aftermath, we may well be able to create a second reference volume covering hyperbolic expressions of inadequacy.
The match started badly, not helped in the slightest by referee Stuart Dickinson's insistence of imposing his authority when there was no need to do so. The whistle often came far too early in the first ten minutes, and the teams looked disinterested.
One scrum alone took up two minutes and twenty seconds as the front rows slipped on the soccer surface, while the previous two minutes - the first of the game - had been marked by kicking of the most ordinary order.
The French displayed one tactic throughout the match, and one tactic alone. In their own half they kicked, and the nearer they got to the New Zealand half, the higher the trajectory of the kick.
In New Zealand's half, they would either kick wider or even higher. On the rare occasions they got a line-out in the French half, they would drive a maul. This facet was by far the most positive and encouraging aspect of their play. It didn't yield a try - indeed it only truly came close once, and by that time the score was 37-3 to the visitors.
Once Sitiveni Sivivatu had jinked past Aurelien Rougerie and brushed off Julien Bonnaire for the first try, the French just didn't want to know. Damien Traille, faced with the All Black wall of defence, suddenly looked every bit a panicking novice fly-half, and as a result, he held on to the ball far too long - that is if he wasn't kicking.
Not one of the backs stood deep enough to help out the ball carrier, not one of the forwards looked for the offload out of contact. Runners ambled into their tacklers, where they were knocked back time and time again, and often on their own.
Shortly before half-time, the French scrum disintegrated completely, gifting the All Blacks their third try (the second had come from a fudged line-out). It was the second scrum of five they lost against the head in the first half, an unforgiveable statistic at this level. In the second half, les bleus fought gamely for the five minutes it took New Zealand to score a fourth try, and thereafter they just shuffled around from ruck to maul to hanging-kick landing-spot, heads down, shoulders drooped, heels dragging... they just looked plain weary and bored.
It is quite important, that last bit, for there will be many who point at the ludicrous volume of rugby many of the players have been asked to play in the opening part of this season. Twice since August the Top 14 has featured midweek fixtures, meaning clubs play three matches in eight days. Then comes the Heineken Cup, and in between all the French squad commitments, and all this on the back of what was barely a close season compared to other countries in Europe.
Bernard Laporte will have his French team together non-stop during the Six Nations as a result, but I doubt he would have wanted success in November's Tests to be sacrificed as a result. Burning out players is a hard mistake to rectify - ask Andy Robinson - and given the magnitude of favours in this regard Laporte has been afforded, his employers will have a right to angrily enquire what, precisely, is going on?
Fittingly then, the match ran as many Top 14 matches have run this season. Once the favourites had enough of a lead, they were quite content to pick off the mistakes made by their pretenders and just soak up the pressure the rest of the time. It made for a largely tired and uninspiring game, played in the greyest of drizzles.
It also led to some peachy tries. Sivivatu's opener was a fine solo effort in itself, and McCaw's second owed as much to the thigh-pumping driving skills of Ali Williams after he had seized up the dropped line-out ball, as it did to the hesitation in the French tackles caused by the two white lines (the soccer goal-line was clearly visible half a yard behind the try-line making some occasions confusing).
The third try was also a fine example of clinical finishing, with superb handling from Rodney So'oialo, McCaw, and Piri Weepu all combining to send Carter in - and it could have been any of three men outside him.
The score was 23-3 at half-time, with Carter hitting only one conversion and adding two penalties, and France's three forlorn points coming from a Florian Fritz drop goal that slumped over the bar every bit as airily as the team wandered about the pitch.
For the first four minutes of the second half, the French flickered. There was fight, drive, even innovation. Yannick Jauzion suddenly reminded us he could slip a tackle. Elvis Vermeulen threw his weight around - he stood out for the French for much of the match. The French got a penalty near the New Zealand line, and then stood around waiting for the ball and waiting for Dickinson to understand that all they wanted to do was tap and go - a process which took some 20 momentum-sapping seconds.
They tapped, went, lost the ball, Ali Williams picked it up and then flipped the ball reverse-handed to Conrad Smith, who sprinted 80m for the fourth try. Down went the French heads, never to rise again.
There were three more tries to tell you about. Luke McAlister once again reminded us of his running abilities and improvisation with a 50m break, a hand-off of Julien Laharrague, and a cheeky pass behind his back to Joe Rokocoko for the fifth try.
Jerry Collins initiated the next, ripping the ball out of a tackle and spreading it over to the other side of the field via Williams to where Sivivatu was the lucky one of four potential scorers.
Then Byron Kelleher, who had so tortured France two years ago when New Zealand won 45-6 in Paris, broke around the fringe of a ruck, and passed the ball inside to Sivivatu, who then handed on to McAlister, who scored in the corner. It was so simple. But it was way way beyond anything the French could offer.
France are now under pressure to at least make a fist of things in the rematch next weekend, and not only to save some face. It will not have escaped the notice of the French faithful that their two heavyweight opponents in their Rugby World Cup pool in ten months' time, Ireland and Argentina, both looked decidedly tasty on Saturday, and another limp surrender will go a long way to dispelling any qualms they had about visiting the French next year.
Man of the match: Nobody French! For New Zealand, Rodney So'oialo had a better than average game, busying himself in the loose, and Ali Williams acted like a flanker at times. But the finesse and jaw-dropping moments came from the wing, where Sitiveni Sivivatu gave a masterclass in finishing and line-breaking skills.
Moment of the match: There were plenty of isolated moments of wonder from the men in black, but we will plump for a dummy and break by Sivivatu late in the first half, a move which took him some 40m untouched through the centre of the field.
Villain of the match: No villains here, nobody seemed interested enough most of the time.
The scorers:
For France:
Drop goal: Fritz
For New Zealand:
Tries: Sivivatu 2, McCaw, Carter, Smith, Rokococo, McAlister
Cons: Carter 3
Pens: Carter 2
Yellow cards: Pelous (France, 24 min)

France: 15 Julien Laharrague, 14 Aurélien Rougerie, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Christophe Dominici, 10 Damien Traille, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Elvis Vermeulen, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Pascal Papé, 4 Fabien Pelous (captain), 3 Pieter de Villiers, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Sylvain Marconnet.
Replacements: 16 Raphaël Ibañez, 17 Olivier Milloud, 18 Lionel Nallet, 19 Rémy Martin, 20 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 21 David Marty, 22 Cédric Heymans.
New Zealand: 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Ali Williams, 4 James Ryan, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Anton Oliver, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Jason Eaton, 19 Chris Masoe, 20 Byron Kelleher, 21 Ma'a Nonu, 22 Malili Muliaina.
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Touch judges: Alain Rolland Simon McDowell (both Ireland)
Television match official: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)
By Danny Stephens

[Manchester]

ITALIA - ARGENTINA, ANNUNCIATO IL XV AZZURRO PER SABATO 16/11/2006 - 15:34
Roma - Pierre Berbizier, Commissario Tecnico della Nazionale Italiana Rugby, ha ufficializzato la formazione per il Jaguar Test Match contro l’Argentina, in programma sabato 18 novembre alle ore 15.00 allo Stadio Flaminio di Roma.

L’incontro sarà trasmesso in diretta da La7 a partire dalle ore 14.30. Telecronaca di Paolo Cecinelli, commento tecnico a cura di Marco Bollesan.

Il tecnico Azzurro ha apportato un solo cambiamento al XV titolare rispetto all’incontro con l’Australia dell’11 novembre, conclusosi 18-25 per i Wallabies.

Nella formazione titolare che affronterà i Pumas guidati da Marcelo Loffreda - reduci dal successo di Twickenham sull’Inghilterra campione del mondo - Berbizier inserisce dal primo minuto l’estremo del Montpellier David Bortolussi, recuperato dall’infortunio che lo aveva costretto al forfait contro l’Australia, in sostituzione di Gert Peens.

Interamente confermata, per il resto, la formazione che ha tenuto in scacco per 80’ i Wallabies vice-campioni del mondo.

Confermata per 6/7 anche la panchina, con il recuperato Fabio Ongaro al posto di Leonardo Ghiraldini.

Domani mattina, alle ore 11.00, la Nazionale effettuerà il Captain’s Run di rifinitura sul prato del Flaminio.

Al termine è in programma la conferenza stampa pre-partita a cui prenderanno parte il Commissario Tecnico Pierre Berbizier, il Team Manager Carlo Checchinato ed il Capitano Marco Bortolami.

ITALIA
15 David BORTOLUSSI (Montpellier, 4 caps)
14 Pablo CANAVOSIO (Castres, 12 caps)
13 Gonzalo CANALE (Clermont-Auvergne, 25 caps)
12 Mirco BERGAMASCO (Stade Francais, 35 caps)
11 Marko STANOJEVIC (Bristol, 3 caps)
10 Ramiro PEZ (Bayonne, 31 caps)
9 Paul GRIFFEN (Cammi Calvisano, 28 caps)
8 Sergio PARISSE (Stade Francais, 35 caps)
7 Mauro BERGAMASCO (Stade Francais, 52 caps)
6 Alessandro ZANNI (Cammi Calvisano, 9 caps)
5 Marco BORTOLAMI (Gloucester RFC, 52 caps) – CAPITANO
4 Santiago DELLAPE’ (Biarritz Olympique, 36 caps)
3 Martin CASTROGIOVANNI (Leicester Tigers, 38 caps)
2 Carlo FESTUCCIA (SKG Gran Parma, 29 caps)
1 Andrea LO CICERO (Infinito L’Aquila, 58 caps)

a disposizione
16 Fabio ONGARO (Saracens, 42 caps)
17 Carlos NIETO (Gloucester RFC, 14 caps)
18 Carlo Antonio DEL FAVA (Bourgoin, 19 caps)
19 Josh SOLE (Arix Viadana, 12 caps)
20 Simon PICONE (Benetton Treviso, 9 caps)
21 Andrea SCANAVACCA (Cammi Calvisano, 5 caps)
22 Walter POZZEBON (Bristol, 21 caps)

[Manchester]

Preview - Italy v Argentina

Thursday November 16 2006
Both sides riding the confidence wave
Argentina will be looking to put in another big performance when they visit the Stadio Flaminio in Rome on Saturday to battle it out with Italy, a home side that is also high on confidence right now.

Ramiro Pez: Italy's golden boot

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Both teams have come away from exceptional outings against high quality teams, and both sides will be looking to prove to the rugby public that it wasn't a one-off performance.
Coincidentally the final scoreline for both respective Test matches ended with a 25-18 scoreline, one going the way of the Pumas, the other against the Azzurri last week.
Argentina recorded a memorable victory over England at Twickenham that even saw them leap-frog the world champions in the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Rankings.
However, the brave performance that was once again put on by the ever-improving Italians over a strong Australian outfit, cannot go unnoticed.
Italy went into the break with a small, yet well-deserved two-point lead over the Wallabies and made the lads from Down Under sweat it out right until the final whistle.
The two close Test encounters has set up a mouth-watering clash between two under-rated teams that have nothing to lose.
Both sides have now proven, more so than ever, that they can play with a lot more skill than heart if need be. Indeed, times have changed where once it was an easy call to predict who would walk away winners against teams such as these two.
Argentina have run top teams extremely close over the last couple of years, even knocking over a few in the process.
They are a side that have proven their worth to the international rugby scene, and should definitely have their plea be accepted to take part in a top competition.
Italy, on the other hand, have been fortunate to take part in the annual Six Nations tournament since the turn of the new century.
Although their performances over the years have seen them collect enough wooden spoons to work in an Italian kitchen, 2006 proved to raise a few more eyebrows than before.
The Italians stepped up to the plate and performed strongly against every team, leading against England, France, Scotland and Ireland in the first half of their respective Tests.
They did, finally, get a creditable 18-18 draw away to Wales, their first ever away point in the tournament, and were unlucky not to draw with Scotland in Rome in the final game, losing 10-13 courtesy of a late Scottish penalty.
In some ways, you have to feel a tad sorry for the Argentinians.
The rugby and television executives of this world perhaps feel that if they do include the South American team into a highly invested competition, they run the risk of losing viewership due to predictable results.
It is for that exact reason why Argentina need to put on another good show on Saturday - if Italy are good enough for the Six Nations, then how about their victors?
Italy, of course, also need to put in a continuation from last week's performance and prove that they are not chokers.
The week leading into this absorbing encounter has been a see-saw battle to which team will have the better advantage at the Stadio Flaminio.
After the Pumas enthralling win last week, all money would have been placed on the visiting team.
However, the number of key players involved in the Twickenham celebrations that are not taking the pitch on Saturday is extremely worrying.
It was known beforehand that centre Gonzalo Tiesi would not be playing because of injury and that Felipe Contepomi had his medical studies to attend to in Dublin, thus ruling the Leinster fly-half out.
Though what is really mind-boggling, is the omission of Pumas captain Augustín Pichot, Jose Nuñez Piossek, Pablo Gómez Cora, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe and Omar Hasan from the line-up.
Pichot's leadership and inspired performance was an integral part of Argentina's victory last week, he and the rest of the excluded players from the line-up will surely effect the Pumas outcome of this Test match.
Also out altogether is flank Martín Schusterman, who was cited for a dangerous tackle when he came on as a replacement against England, but was cleared on Wednesday.
These drastic changes by Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda has certainly turned the tables a quarter-inch in favour of the host team.
Italy have kept changes to their starting XV to an absolute minimum.
The men in blue should fair a lot better knowing the person next to them was the same player that helped pull out the magic against the Wallabies a week ago.
The only change to the Italy line-up sees recovered full-back David Bortolussi reclaim his starting place from South Africa born Gert Peens, who slips out of the 22-man squad altogether.
Should Italy pull off a win in Rome on Saturday and the Argentineans blame it on their missing key players, then they only have themselves to blame.
Underestimate the Azzurri team at your own peril - and it seems the Pumas have done just that!
Players to watch:
For Italy: In the game of cricket it is said that catches win you matches, the same thing can be said about kicking in rugby. It has been proven many times before, and even though fly-half Ramiro Pez didn't win the game for his country against Australia, he sure came damn close! The Argentine-born Italian will be looking to put as many kicks through the uprights as possible against his former countrymen. And with the Perpignan pivot's golden boot in fine form nowadays, it's hard to imagine him missing.
For Argentina: If they haven't already started building a miniature statue of Federico Todeschini in his home town of Rosario, they will no doubt do so in due course. The phenomenal performance of the replacement for the Pumas last week against England was a match-winning one. He single-handedly tore the English apart with four penalties, a try and a conversion. So while Felipe Contepomi reads through his medical books back in Ireland, the Argentina fans can rest assured that Todeschini will have his sights firmly set on another flawless performance.
Head to head: Martin Castrogiovanni, Carlo Festuccia and Andrea Lo Cicero (Italy) v Martín Scelzo, Mario Ledesma and Marcos Ayerza (Argentina): Yes, it's the infamous battle of the two side's massive front-rows. The Italian pack, not normally renowned for its brute strength up front, proved everyone wrong by demolishing the Australia pack last week. They huffed and puffed and shoved the Wallabies all over the Stadio Flaminio pitch, and will want to do so again on Saturday. The Pumas have arguably earned themselves the title of 'best front-row' down the years, and the honour has certainly not been stripped off them to this day. Ledesma and Ayerza will no doubt pull Scelzo in tight in Omar Hasan absence and hope to make light work of a confident Azzurri front row.
Prediction: As we mentioned before, Argentina have not helped their cause by leaving out their big guns. They definitely didn't help us with our prediction either! It comes down to a case of who wants it more, and if Italy are keeping the faith with the troops that tried so hard against a tough Australia outfit, then they can only get better. Italy to win by less than 10 points.
Recent Results:
2005: Argentina won 22-39 at Genoa
2005: Italy won 30-29 at Cordoba
2005: Argentina won 21-35 at Salta
2002: Argentina won 6-36 at Stadio Flaminio, Rome
2001: Argentina won 17-38 at FC Oeste, Buenos Aires
1998: Italy won 23-19 at Piacenza
1997: Drew 18-18 at Lourdes
1995: Argentina won 6-26 at Tucuman
1995: Italy won 31-25 at East_London
1989: Argentina won 16-21 at Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires
1987: Argentina won 16-25 at Lancaster Park, Christchurch
1978: Italy won 19-6 at Rovigo

The teams:
Italy: 15 David Bortolussi, 14 Pablo Canavosio, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 11 Marko Stanojevic, 10 Ramiro Pez, 9 Paul Griffen, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami (captain), 4 Santiago Dellape, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements: 16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Carlos Nieto, 18 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 19 Josh Sole, 20 Simon Picone, 21 Andrea Scanavacca, 22 Walter Pozzebon.
Argentina: 15 Juan Martin Hernández, 14 Ignacio Corleto, 13 Miguel Avramovic, 12 Manuel Contepomi, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Federico Todeschini, 9 Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, 8 Gonzalo Longo (captain), 7 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Martín Durand. 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Esteban Lozada, 3 Martín Scelzo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 17 Juan Gómez, 18 Jaime Arocena, 19 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 20 Nicolás Vergallo, 21 Hernán Senillosa, 22 Pablo Gómez Cora
Date: Saturday 18 November
Venue: Stadio Flaminio, Rome
Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Touch judges: Joël Jutge, Romain Poite (both France)
Television match official: Tim Hayes (Wales)
By Dave Morris

[KURTANGLE]

stronzo ma vuoi postare articoli in italiano o no?????

[greenday2]

scusa ma veramente gli all blacks hanno annichilito 47-3 la francia?

ahhh maledetti mangia-baguette...spero perdiate pure nel cricket...

[KURTANGLE]

madonna snata i francesi avranno anke fatto cagare ma gli abb blacks avranno fatto una partita mostruosa.....