A dominated first half, a second of suffering and battle under the deluge of the Olimpico. But for Gonzalo Quesada’s Italy, without ten players, the first in the Six Nations is a good one. Scotland were beaten 18-15 with the final thrill, for a last possession of the opponent lasting 30 phases, yet the Italian defense held up until the Italian “kept up” arrived for the explosion of joy of the 68 thousand at the Olimpico, where Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, was among the many present. Italy went into the break with a 15-7 lead thanks to tries from Lynagh and Menoncello, as well as Garbisi’s free kick, demonstrating cynicism in attacks and the ability to adapt to weather conditions that were decidedly more Scottish than Mediterranean. Because it is true that the kick-off is taken in the absence of rain and on a pitch, until a few minutes before the start, covered by sheets, but shortly after the start of the match what Quesada wanted to avoid comes true: playing under a storm like it was last year against Wales. In the last twenty minutes of the first half, however, a real storm hit the Olimpico, with Townsend’s team shortening the score with Dempsey’s goal. But it’s not enough, because the Azzurri set a good pace until the pitch becomes very heavy due to the rain and playing becomes a challenge. In the second half, Ashman takes a risk on the Tmo review, but in the end the referee only opts for the free kick which gives Italy the 18-10, but no sanction to the Scottish no.2. Meanwhile Quesada delayed the substitutions until the 60th minute, when the entire front line then changed and entered a field transformed into a quagmire. Townsend also responds and finds the goal (without conversion) in Horne, who has just entered, which closes the gap with 13′ to go. From then on it was a demonstration of heart, strength and energy from Italy: possessions become fundamental despite the fact that almost at the end the last one was in the hands of Scotland who exploited the advantage, extending the action for 30 phases and therefore well beyond the eightieth minute. But holding high after four minutes of Italian resistance gave Italy the victory which opens up luxury scenarios in this Six Nations, such as trying to win three matches in the tournament.
“We demonstrated character and maturity”
«We worked as a team, that was today’s goal. We managed all the moments of the match well – says the coach, analyzing the match -. We showed that we have excellent character and a lot of maturity, a good match from Italy today. All victories are beautiful, it was fundamental today in conditions like this. I don’t know if it’s the best victory, but it’s certainly a great success.” Captain Lamaro has no doubts and defines the day as “crazy”. “The boys – he continues – gave everything on the pitch and we know everything we can put on the pitch. There were also difficult moments, but I can’t be happier than that. The first twenty minutes were crucial because the pitch was still dry. Afterwards, scoring would have been more complicated and we saw it.” Now there is the appointment in Dublin for the match against Ireland, while Italy will return to the Olimpico in a month, next March 7, against England.