Date: 25 Nov 2000
Venue: Genova
Attendance: 33000
Referee: Davies r.
The touring New Zealand side ended their European tour on a winning note on Saturday, beating Italy 56-19 in a keenly contested Test in Genoa.
While the All Blacks won with ease, scoring eight tries to two, it was not a vintage performance and Italy, who lost their best player, scrum-half, Alessandro Troncon in the opening minute to a head injury, can take some pride in their show.
It was a vast improvement on their 101-3 defeat to the All Blacks in last year's World Cup, especially since they were hit by a hammer blow in the opening minute of the match when Troncon was injured in a ruck on his own 22 metre line.
He was attended to on the pitch for two minutes and was clearly confused by a blow to the head but there was no way he could continue and he was replaced by Filippo Frati. His performance in a previous international with Canada was so indifferent that coach Brad Johnstone was forced to swallow his pride and recall Troncon whom he had dropped on a matter of principle.
So it was no surprise when stand-off Carlos Spencer, taking over from all-time leading New Zealand points scorer Andrew Mehrtens, popped over two early penalties to give the All Blacks a 6-0 lead.
Ramiro Pez, who had earlier missed a simple attempt, reduced the score to 6-3 with a penalty of his own for Italy but then the All Blacks scored the first try of the match with their first fluent back move of the half.
Centre Pita Alatini's pass found the opening, setting up winger Bruce Reihana who touched down for a try converted by Spencer.
That put the All Blacks 13-3 ahead but Pez quickly reduced arrears with two penalties as Italy's forwards put their opponents under real pressure.
They came close to a try with Welsh referee Robert Davies eventually awarding New Zealand a scrum on their own five-yard line just as it looked as though Italy would find the gap. Even Frati was doing his bit with a far more convincing performance than against Canada. Pez too had missed two relatively easy kicks for Italy although his positional kicking from hand was much better.
But while the half-backs were not quite up to the task Italy's front row of Andrea Muraro, Alessandro Moscardi and Andrea Lo Cicero -- much improved under the tutelage of former All Black prop Johnstone -- were excelling.
But six minutes before the break the All Blacks finally imposed themselves with two tries, the first of which sparked a furious brawl.
Scrum-half Justin Marshall made the initial break down the middle and flanker Filo Tiatia reaped the benefit touching down under a rough tackle from Frati. That prompted the brawl with virtually all the players involved and boots, punches and headbutts flying around though no-one was penalised.
Then the All Blacks pulled further clear with their best passing move yet eventually letting in Auckland's Doug Howlett, who breached the line with this time the points being added by Spencer, who had led his team in the Haka just before the kick-off.
After the interval Italy centre Luca Martin was sin binned and the Kiwis quickly took advantage with Reihana, who replaced the injured Jonah Lomu for the second Test with France last Saturday, dummying full-back Christian Stoica and touching down in the corner for his second try. Finally it was beginning to look as one-sided as had been predicted before the match and Spencer set up Ron Cribb for another try which this time was converted.
But Italy then delighted the big crowd at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium by scoring a try. It was no surprise that it was the forwards who produced the score with the pack driving over from a penalty and Lo Cicero coming up with the ball under a pile of players.
Although then a solo try from half-back Marshall, who ran in unopposed, finally quietened the crowd down. Now the All Blacks were beginning to showboat and man-of-the-match Christian Cullen created the opening for Spencer to score a try which he then converted.
No. 8 Cribb grabbed his second -- also converted -- before the match ended on a high note for the hosts as replacement Stefano Saviozzi touched down after another pack move in injury time.
It was Italy who took a lap of honour after a gutsy performance which will only further be boosted by the return of talismanic fly-half Diego Dominguez for the Six Nations Tournament in January.
Italy 19 All Blacks 56 (H-t: 9-25)
Italy: Cristian Stoica; Massimiliano Perziano, Luca Martin, Giovanni Raineri, Denis Dallan; Ramiro Pez, Alessandro Troncon; Riccardo Piovan, Carlo Caione, Maurizio Zaffiri; Wilhelmus Visser, Andrea Gritti; Andrea Muraro, Alessandro Moscardi (capt), Andrea Lo Cicero Replacements used: Giacomo Preo, Filippo Frati, Stefano Saviozzi, Andrea De Rossi, Luca Mastrodomenico, Tino Paoletti,
Replacement not used: Nicola Mazzucato
Tries: Lo Cicero, Saviozzi, Penalties: Pez (3)
New Zealand: Christian Cullen; Doug Howlett, Tana Umaga, Pita Alatini, Bruce Reihana; Carlos Spencer, Justin Marshall; Ron Cribb, Scott Robertson, Filo Tiatia; Tory Flavell, Todd Blackadder (capt); Greg Somerville, Anton Oliver, Greg Feek
Replacements used: Andrew Mehrtens, Jason O'Halloran, Taine Randell, Norm Maxwell, Gordon Slater
Replacements not used: Mark Hammett, Byron Kelleher
Tries; Reihana (2), Tiatia, Howlett, Cribb (2), Marshall, Spencer. Conversions: Spencer (5). Penalties: Spencer (2)
Sin Bins Italy -- Martin 44, Lo Cicero 70
Attendance: 33,000
Referee: Robert Davies (Wal)
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