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Italy off the mark with Women's Six Nations win over Ireland
By Kim Ekin
Italy secured their first win in the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations with a 24-7 victory over Ireland, in a match held at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma. Alyssa D’Inca was the hero of the match as she scored two tries, including the match-winning try in the closing stages, to help Italy secure a memorable victory.
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Italy failed to capitalise on their early opportunities, with Neve Jones making a crucial turnover penalty under her own posts with Italy threatening their line. Despite the missed opportunities, Italy continued to look the more threatening side, with Michela Sillari and Beatrice Rigoni both causing problems for Ireland.
Italy’s breakthrough came in the 28th minute, when Rigoni shifted the ball to the left to D’Inca, who then fed Beatrice Capomaggi and finally Aura Muzzo on the wing. She raced clear before feeding Rigoni inside and while the centre was tackled just short of the line, she offloaded to new skipper Sofia Stefan for the try. Sillari converted from out wide to make it 7-0.
Ireland finished the half strongly, setting up camp in the Italy 22 and getting the nudge in the scrum. However, their efforts came to nothing, as a penalty in front of the posts was not converted into points.
Italy came out of the blocks quickly in the second half, with D’Inca doubling their advantage in the 41st minute. This time, the second rows Sara Tounesi and Giordana Duca played the overlap perfectly to put the winger away. She stepped inside the final covering tackle and Sillari’s conversion made it 14-0.
Ireland continued to fight back and their pack earned them a penalty try in the 67th minute, reducing the deficit to 10 points. However, Italy’s defence held strong, and Sara Barattin’s fine work at the breakdown disrupted the visitors in their final meaningful attack.
In the closing stages, Italy added gloss to the scoreline, with D’Inca scoring her second try of the match. She latched on to Rigoni’s delicate chip and crossed the whitewash to secure a memorable win for the hosts in Parma. The match ended 24-7 in favour of Italy.
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The writer here ignores the fact that, following on from not taking the penalty kick, the All Blacks did manage to score a try a few minutes later. Not directly from the penalty awarded, but it is speculation to say that had they opted to take the koi they would have won. Even if they kicked it, which was no guarantee, they would still be trailing and would have had to start again at half-way.
Go to commentsI would be surprised if Sales Opoku Fordjour and Northampton’s Tommy Freeman are not in the team, Anthony Watson is also one that could go on the wing. One thing I must say is that the front 3 will get destroyed against a team like South Africa.
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