|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Unlucky in defeat Despite losses, Italians put scares in Six Nations teams
Updated: Wednesday March 21, 2001 1:52 PM
Italy is bottom of Rugby's Six Nations table without a victory, but the newcomer to the European tournament can take heart from its performances. The Italians gave England and France a few nervous moments and went ever so close to beating Scotland in Edinburgh. Brad Johnstone's side led for most of the match and produced some enterprising rugby, especially in the forwards. In the end, only the boot of Scottish fly-half Duncan Hodge proved the difference. The Italians seem to have unearthed a new hero in flanker Mauro Bergamasco. The 21-year-old from the Treviso club capped a fine game by scoring a scintillating first half try. From 60-meters out, Bergamasco got around veteran Gregor Townsend and then left fullback Chris Paterson for dead in a one-on-one situation, showing great acceleration to run around him. Someone forget to tell him that backs are supposed to be faster than forwards. Bergamasco is currently completing a physical education degree at Padua University. When his studies and his Treviso contract are complete in about a year, he could well find himself in a prominent English club, or perhaps a Super-12 team. As always, Italy was well served by fly-half Diego Dominguez. The Argentine-born player was talked out of retirement to play in this season's Six Nations and it's hoped that he will further extend his career to assist the growth of Italian rugby. Coach Johnstone, the former New Zealand prop, has done an excellent job with the squad, even though he has no victories to back up his efforts in Italy's second Six Nations' season. Italian-born players are supplemented by recruits from other rugby nations, but no more so than the weaker European nations like Ireland and Scotland who have openly milked talent from the southern hemisphere powers. Rugby in Italy has progressed since I reported on a Cup final in the late 1980s. During that period, imports like Naas Botha, from South Africa and Australian David Campese could play at half-pace and still dominate. But today, local talent like Bergamasco is emerging to make the league much more competitive (although still a long way behind the English and French competitions). As for the Scots, they should be very disappointed that they almost fell to their second straight Six Nations loss to Italy and before a 60,000-plus crowd at their own Murrayfield ground. I was appalled at the service that center Gregor Townsend gave to his outside backs. So many passes were behind the man outside, meaning that few backline moves ever got going. This is perhaps why the British Lion was moved away from fly-half in the Scottish team. While he is undoubtedly a brilliant and unpredictable player at times, Townsend, always the individual, can be very difficult to play alongside. Scotland's performance was so disappointing that a steward at the normally sedate Murrayfield was called into remove an angry fan who hurled abuse at the players when they left the field at halftime. If only the players still had the fire of this one irate supporter. He probably remembers how the Scots showed great courage to condemn mighty England to a shock defeat at the end of last season's championship.
Australian-born Jason Dasey is co-host of World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
| ||||||||||||||||
