Italy vs Wales match thread.

troyzer

For anyone arsed.

Empty stadium and weirdly slow Welsh anthem.

Can see a 30+ point margin. Italy are awful.

Losty Dublin

Kicking off at 4:45PM Live on VM1 and Full Fat VM1, aka ITV.

ITALY: Jayden Hayward (Benetton); Edoardo Padovani (Zebre), Michele Campagnaro (Wasps), Luca Morisi (Benetton), Angelo Esposito (Benetton); Tommaso Allan (Benetton), Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre);

Nicola Quaglio (Benetton), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Toulouse), Simone Ferrari (Benetton); David Sisi (Zebre), Dean Budd (Benetton); Sebastian Negri (Benetton), Braam Steyn (Benetton), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais, capt).

Replacements: Luca Bigi (Benetton), Cherif Traore (Benetton), Tiziano Pasquali (Benetton), Federico Ruzza (Benetton), Marco Barbini (Benetton), Edoardo Gori (Benetton), Ian McKinley (Benetton), Tommaso Benvenuti (Benetton).


WALES: Liam Williams (Saracens); Jonah Holmes (Leicester), Jonathan Davies (Scarlets, capt), Owen Watkin (Ospreys), Josh Adams (Worcester); Dan Biggar (Northampton), Aled Davies (Ospreys);

Nicky Smith (Ospreys), Elliot Dee (Dragons), Samson Lee (Scarlets); Jake Ball (Scarlets), Adam Beard (Ospreys); Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Thoms Young (Wasps), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Blues).

Replacements: Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Wyn Jones (Scarlets), Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Ross Moriarty (Dragons), Gareth Davies (Scarlets), Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues), Hallon Amos (Dragons).

Should be an away win here after a strong Welsh performance last weekend. Italy played poorly last week but showed promise late on in Murrayfield so we know that they can play dangerous.

Losty Dublin

I've a less skeleton thread up as well. Mod's, can you merge?

troyzer

Losty Dublin wrote: »

I've a less skeleton thread up as well. Mod's, can you merge?

Less skeleton?

The Rape of Lucretia

Nice touch from the Italians, trying to patch up the recent diplomatic rift with France, sporting Macron on their gansies.

steves2

Jesus less then a minute gone and the Italians balls it up.

Exclamation Marc

Wales wandering up the pitch with very little resistance.

Winning every kick so far.

joseywhales

Why don't they pronounce Jonathan Davies name correctly anymore, it's not 'davis.'

troyzer

Italy's lack of basic skills is startling.

Synode

Where's the ref mic

Losty Dublin

troyzer wrote: »

Less skeleton?

I had the respect to copy paste the teams, lazy bones

Thrashssacre

Ref mic not on I'm not hearing him speak or blow the whistle

Hurrache

Coverage on both Virgin and ITV are equally as boring. Can't see myself seeing out this game.

Losty Dublin

Synode wrote: »

Where's the ref mic

TV3 have borrowed it for their commentator.

Synode

Does ITV have a ref mic?

FrancieBrady

Synode wrote: »

Does ITV have a ref mic?

nope

troyzer

There's no way I'll last until half time.

Is Shane Byrne playing flappy bird or something? Seems to come out of a stupor every few minutes, talks some ****e, goes back to the phone.

ScrubsfanChris

Watching/listening with no ref mic is kind of eerie

razorblunt

Synode wrote: »

Does ITV have a ref mic?

No, they feel it takes away from Flatman's jokes and quips.


Campagnaro back at center at least.

no.8

ScrubsfanChris wrote:

Watching/listening with no ref mic is kind of eerie

A nice change imo. You get to notice a few other aspects

Thrashssacre

This is grim.... You'd swear the entire Italian team had never met each other until 5 minutes before kick off

Losty Dublin

ScrubsfanChris wrote: »

Watching/listening with no ref mic is kind of eerie

It is, and all. But in the day you made do with just Bill McClaren or Cliff Morgan or Fred Cogley or Nigel Starmer-Smith, with commentary literally fed on a dodgy phone line from Paris, or whatever corner of the world that the test match was played on that given day.

The big difference back then was that they were fantastic commentators who loved and knew the game, and it was a privilege to listen to them. Today's commentators are, generally speaking, not a patch on the commentator of old.

Thrashssacre

Italy could have done with moving to a smaller stadium to at least keep a bit of atmosphere.

Synode

Was a high tackle in there

razorblunt

Flatman claimed Dan Biggar is the second best player under a high ball, behind Falou.

Exclamation Marc

Italy just don't help themselves avoid the "What should be done with Italy in the 6N" conversation that inevitably comes up every single year.

You can see the strides that Benetton Rugby have made to improve their game but conversely you can see no similarities or knock on effect to the national team.

troyzer

Thrashssacre wrote: »

Italy could have done with moving to a smaller stadium to at least keep a bit of atmosphere.

Bridge93

Another week, another referee who gives everything he can against Italy

razorblunt

Italian media aren't all that keen either it seems.


https://twitter.com/GarethLewis77/status/1094282603853684736

Thrashssacre

Fair play Italy, nice time to score too

FrancieBrady

Who would have bet on Italy getting first try!

Exclamation Marc

Well thank god for that.

vienne86

So first try of the game to Italy.....!!!!!

Losty Dublin

What a hard grafted try, well worked by their pack. Should make a game out of it now and wake both teams up.

troyzer

It would completely blow the competition over if Italy get a win and England lose tomorrow

vienne86

The music!!!!!! :eek:

Thrashssacre

troyzer wrote: »

It would completely blow the competition over if Italy get a win and England lose tomorrow

Getting a bit ahead of yourself there 😂

troyzer

Thrashssacre wrote: »

troyzer wrote: »

It would completely blow the competition over if Italy get a win and England lose tomorrow

Getting a but ahead of yourself there 😂

It's not going to happen of course.

Thrashssacre

Italy will be fairly happy with that scoreline at half time all things considered

razorblunt

Tommy Allen is absolutely useless.
Why take the points there after getting 7 from the last penalty?

ScrubsfanChris

Italy will be kind of happy with that, have had hardly any of the ball.
Should have gone for the corner at the end. I don't trust an Italian place kicker to slot one from 10m out.

amcalester

razorblunt wrote: »

Tommy Allen is absolutely useless.
Why take the points there after getting 7 from the last penalty?

No time for a line out?

Exclamation Marc

amcalester wrote: »

No time for a line out?

It was a penalty so they would have been allowed take the line out.

Lack of confidence I'd say.

ScrubsfanChris

amcalester wrote: »

No time for a line out?

Twas a penalty

rekluse

What number is josh Adams apparently if he scores a try I get some money.

amcalester

Exclamation Marc wrote: »

It was a penalty so they would have been allowed take the line out.

Lack of confidence I'd say.

Didn’t realize that. Thought that if time was up when the penalty was awarded the line out wasn’t an option.

Jewelers

amcalester wrote: »

Didn’t realize that. Thought that if time was up when the penalty was awarded the line out wasn’t an option.

they changed the rule

akelly02

Need Wales to win by 15 . Knowing my luck they will piss it away

troyzer

I'd be happy enough if Italy just denied them the bonus.

Losty Dublin

Jewelers wrote: »

they changed the rule

Ahem

Jewelers

thomas young a number 9 lol