The Wallabies are unlikely to be bothered that Italy genuinely believes they can take down Ireland on Sunday, potentially reshaping the Rugby World Cup quarter-final lineup.
A victory for the Azzurri over the Emerald Green in Dunedin would allow the Wallabies to avoid consecutive sudden-death matches against South Africa and New Zealand.
Rather than having to replicate their Tri Nations successes against the top two ranked teams in the world, the Wallabies would instead prefer to face either Wales, England, or France in order to reach the Rugby World Cup final on October 23. Hence, Italy’s firm belief is certainly a comforting thought.
“Ireland is a team that really outperformed against Australia. They physically outmatched Australia. We have a superior front row compared to Ireland, and we are determined to showcase that,” said Azzurri coach Nick Mallett. “If you’re able to take the initiative, it complicates things for them.”
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans remarked that the upcoming Italy-Ireland match would present an intriguing conclusion to the group stages of the competition.
“Clearly, it will be compelling in how the playoffs shape up,” he noted. “The Irish are aware of what’s at stake. It will wrap up the round-robin stage nicely. Ironically, Ireland could still miss out. We could miss out as well. There’s still much more to unfold.”
Despite Italy’s quick five-day turnaround since their 27-10 victory over the USA, captain Sergio Parisse stated that his team would approach the match against Ireland with considerable confidence.
This confidence likely arises from their most recent meeting, where Italy largely controlled the game until Ronan O’Gara’s late drop goal secured a narrow 13-11 win for Ireland during the Six Nations in Rome last February.
Even Eddie O’Sullivan, Ireland’s most successful coach who now leads the USA, believes Italy has the potential to disrupt the tournament’s status quo.
“You don’t require my insight—Italy has demonstrated during the Six Nations… they are capable of defeating any team,” O’Sullivan remarked.
“It’s quite clear that Italy can challenge Ireland and that this will be a closely contested match.
It’s important to note that Ireland, following their 15-6 victory over Australia two weeks ago in Auckland, which left the Wallabies in a precarious position, has not suffered a loss to Italy since 1997 and has won 16 out of their 19 encounters.
Italy has substantial motivation; a win against Ireland would propel the Azzurri into the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals for the very first time.
“We must score points by any means necessary,” declared veteran Italy flanker Mauro Bergamasco. “This is an opportunity for all 30 players to achieve something unprecedented. We have five days to recuperate physically and mentally and prepare for this monumental clash.”
by Buford Balony
