The Italian Rugby World Cup ends in darknessThe last day of the group stage is a recurring nightmare. Host France wants first place and makes no concessions. They have won by a landslide (60-7, 8 attempts to 1) in their home or away match, and they play as if they had to present their candidacy to the world. To arrive in Paris for the grand finale (October 28) of this planetary house.
After the All Blacks game, in Lyon, it’s Blue Team nightBut it is always dark for a perplexed Italy, lost behind unfulfilled ambitions, its assumption that it has reached a level it does not belong to, many missed interventions, banal mistakes that cannot be highlighted in a context of this kind, the lack of intensity, the darkness that prevails. On legs and thoughts at the first difficulty suggested by opponents.
“Lyon is impatiently waiting for you” can be read on the screen of the city buses since the morning, but it is an entire nation waiting for this team that was built along a 4-year journey to arrive with arms raised under the goal that many, many have not reached. Missed times (lost 3 finals: twice with New Zealand and one with Australia) and Italy, little Italy, can be nothing more than an annoying obstacle on the path drawn.
Yet the blues can’t even be annoying In another evening of tears and humiliation, two minutes later, I’m already covering my ears because the Olympique Lyonnais stadium has come down to celebrate. Target tightrope walker Benaud, a gem of technique, fantasy and champagne rugby, set in 12 long stages of precision and brutal attack. This seems to be a well-known story: Italy tingles, wraps itself around its thoughts, feels flustered even when it seems to have found consistency, misses tackles and throw-ins, languishes, extinguishes like a candle in shock. Storm.
The storm arrives quickly and violently with two wonderful goals from Bill Barry and Ramos. After 20 minutes, the match ends. France travels, driven by the decibel of Marseille. Italy is a drifting raft without a captain who can hold the rudder. Then he gets hurt Capuzzo (Face kick), the only player whose quality could have also played on the hosts, and the air becomes heavy, Ferrari scores a good try but the pitch mumbles and the English referee Dixon looks at the big screen to find a goal. A suspicious shoulder in slow motion, and at that moment the air turns to rock.
France is in the quarter-finals and Italy changes its coach
Then France becomes France
It’s rough rugby and great imagination, it’s brawn and creativity, it’s cleaver and chips, it’s teamwork and individual technique. So Jalibert first invents a gift for Benaud, and then sets out on his own to delight 60,000 people at the Ole Stadium with a spectacular show. The hailstorm continues with quick double goals from Mwaka and Movana. The whole target is angry and zuliani pride, He is one of the few who can color the future with hope. He is the usual consolation known and no longer given. Next week, barring any unforeseen setbacks, France will fulfill its World Cup dreams in a tough quarter-final against defending champion South Africa. It will be a battle and a spectacle. The end of the World Cup in Italy, the end of the Kieran Crawley eraWe will start again from Argentina Gonzalo Quesada By a team that seemed beautiful and carefree, but instead collapsed during a week spent on the banks of the Rhone. The party has just begun and it seems like it’s already over. We set off again, as Italian rugby always does, to an unknown destination.
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