23-18: Unprecedented historic campaign for Italy in the Six Nations Tournament

The Italian rugby team beat this Saturday for the first time in its history the ‘XV of the Rose’the only rival on the international scene that he had never beaten alongside New Zealandand leaves very touched Steven Borthwickthe English coach, who has his third consecutive defeat.

After 32 English victories in as many games since their first meeting, the Argentine coach’s Italy Gonzalo Quesada showed its progress with a fair and incontestable victory that it owes to the talent of its first center, Tommaso Menoncelloauthor of a test in the first half and assistant in the decisive mark.

A penalty kick Paolo Garbisi opened the scoring when the halfway point of the first half had passed in the midst of tedium, as both teams wasted their possessions with rained kicks on the opponent’s rear, in the hope of taking advantage of reception errors.

The first time that the English third line decided to carry the oval, Ben Earl penetrated the ‘azzurri’ defense and the ball, quickly recycled, traveled to Tom Freemanwho scored on the right side after collecting a long pass from Alex Coles.

The locals responded with a goal from Tommaso Menoncello, served in the interval by Alessandro Garbisi in his magnificent run towards the carrier, but they could not go ahead at half-time, as a cross kick from Fin Smith towards Roebuck led to the island’s second try in overtime (10-12).

England took advantage of their dominance in the scrum at the start of the second period to score through the foot of Fin Smith, but those six points were the last scored in Rome by their team, whose indiscipline gave them the reaction to an unbridled Italy in the decisive stretch.

Sam Underhill and Maro Itojewith two gross fouls inappropriate for forwards of their experience, left England in numerical inferiority and gave away two penalty blows in a favorable position for Paolo Garbisiwho did not hesitate to tighten the score again (16-18).

In the final minutes, after the English forward heroically defended a ‘touche’ from 5 metres, Monty Ioane won an aerial ball, Menoncello cut the English defense through the left outer corridor and pinned the defender Elliot Daly to serve Leonardo Marin the rehearsal of victory.

There was still time, however, for a final attack by the English, again with 15 players on the pitch, who would have won if they had added the 7 points from a converted try, but the Italian captain, Michele Lamaro, tackled Van Poortvliet and caught the ball on which the visitors’ hopes rested.