Rugby: a poor start to the tour for Italy – Japan win 27–10
Too many mistakes for Quesada’s team, who were unable to hold their own against the Japanese side, even physically
It was a terrible start for the Italian rugby team on the evening in Tokyo. Facing Japan – on paper the weakest team among those taking part in the newly launched Nations Championship – the Azzurri lost by a score (27–10, 17–10 at half-time) that could have been even more lopsided.
It was certainly an excellent performance by the home side, though they were up against a disorganised opponent prone to errors and wasted chances, and by no means physically superior – something one might otherwise have expected. All in all, only the throw-ins worked. For the rest, there were misunderstandings (starting with the initial double challenge by Ioane and Pani on a high ball, which was likely the cause of the latter’s injury), duels lost in key areas (the gap between the two teams’ central midfielders was almost embarrassing, with the home side’s No. 9 putting in a remarkable performance), largely ineffective pushing in attacking scrums and also – at the other end – a defence that showed determination and a spirit of sacrifice, but was unable to prevent the Japanese from maintaining prolonged periods of possession in areas of the pitch that were dangerous for the Azzurri.
Too many mistakes by the Azzurri
The gap in the number of errors caused by fumbles says it all about the team’s struggles under coach Quesada: Italia’s tally was close to twenty, roughly four times the number of Japan’s ‘slips’. And this brings us back to a team that has rarely shown the necessary concentration, that has relied too often on individual efforts and has also lacked cohesion.
For the majority of the Italian squad, the lack of competitive match practice certainly played a part, given that some players had long since finished their club seasons and there had been no warm-up fixtures (Japan, by contrast, had played two friendly matches). But this mitigating factor, whilst valid, is not enough to explain such a disappointing performance. It is also worth noting that in the second half, when one might have expected a reaction and a change in attitude, Italia failed to score a single point. In the second half, at least debutant Malik Faissal stood out, confirming his ability in the air.
The most deceptive of the tries came almost straight away, with the ball emerging from a ruck and passing through the hands of several Italian players until Brex found a gap and scored a try, which was then converted by Paolo Garbisi. It was one of the very few occasions on which the home side’s defence failed to rise to the occasion.
