|
|
|
 TEIVOVO.COM – UNDER 19s
|
|
4 April 2006
 |
|
Good defence... Fiji's fly half Rokodaini Bativagone (L) and winger Seremaia Taqicakibau (R) take down Italy's prop Gabriele Turroni
|
Fiji edge Italy in opener
Fiji withstood a late fightback from Italy in a match of changing fortunes to launch their bid for promotion from Division B with a high-scoring 38-30 win.
Third seeds Italy ended the first half 16-13 in front but four unanswered tries in the third quarter saw Fiji, who had to qualify for the tournament, surge 35-16 clear.
The match appeared over but with seven minutes to go Italy gave themselves a lifeline when lock Luca Beccaris was worked over from close range for a converted try.
And further forward pressure was rewarded with a penalty try for repeatedly infringing which Giulio Rubini converted to make the score 35-30.
A shock briefly appeared on the cards but with just a minute to go Fiji were awarded a penalty some 40 metres out and Seremaia Tagicakibu stepped up to land a kick which finally put his side out of sight.
Italy had made a fine start with an early try from hooker Nicola Gatto and a Davide Duca penalty for an eight-point lead before Fiji rallied with a Tagicakibu penalty and converted touchdown from full-back Iliesa Keresoni for a 10-8 lead.
Italy regained the advantage with another Duca penalty while full back Pietro Valcastelli’s try stretched the advantage to 16-10 before Fiji ended the half with another Tagicakibu penalty.
The Islanders maintained that momentum in the second period with typically fluid handling paving the way for scores from No 8 Waqabaca Kotobalavu, Keresoni, fly half Rokodaini Bativagone and the hard-working Tagicakibu.
QUOTES
Fiji coach Josua Toakula: “We changed our game plan in the second half and I told them to keep the ball alive which worked well for us. It’s a balanced team and I think if we balance out some of our mistakes we will do well.”
Fiji captain Andrew Durutalo: “This was a good opportunity to get a feel for the competition. Although the climate here is similar to Fiji we got off to a slow start but we started to pick up in the second half. We settled down and it made a big difference when we changed our game plan in the second half. We took the ball out wide which worked for us.”
Italy coach Gianluca Guidi: “We made a lot of mistakes with the ball and we must now work very hard. Our World Championship is not over yet but we must now play with passion and plenty of heart.”
Italy captain Alberto Dal Corso: “We need to improve our play from here because it is a fantastic opportunity. It’s a beautiful experience to be here and we have another two games to keep improving.”
Tuesday 4 April 2006
Fiji u19s 38 Italy u19s 30
2006 IRB Under 19 World Championship
Division B
Half-time: 13-16
Exiles RFC Stadium, Dubai
FIJI U19s: 15 Iliesa Keresoni (Maikeli Tokalauvere 58) , 14 Seremaia Tagicakibau, 13 Tomasi Mawi, 12 Leone Ratulevu (Osea Namatalevu 50) , 11 Ilikena Bolakoro, 10 Rokodaini Bativagone, 9 Taitusi Naituna (Mika Liga 46) ), 8 Waqabaca Kotobalavu, 7 Sakenasa Aca (Serupepeli Vuetinavanua 63), 6 Timoci Bakanivesi, 5 James Brown, 4 John Vugakoto, 3 Samuela Newa, 2 Peceli Mara, 1 Andrew Durutalo (capt)
Not used: Saimoni Nauluvula, Jeke Lalai, Filipe Kuruvoli, Isireli Buadomo, Netava Ravouvou, Vaione Tegu, Sosiveta Boila
Coach: Josua Toakula
Tires: Keresoni (2), Kotobalavu, Bativagone, Tagicakibau; conversions: Tagicakibau(2); Penalties: Tagicakibau (3)
ITALY U19s: 1 Gabriele Turroni (Alessandro Borsi 63), 2 Nicola Gatto, 3 Plinio Sciamanna, 4 Luca Beccaris, 5 Natale Duca (Giacomo Pettinelli 63), 6 Daniele Pasqualetto (Simone Favaro 46), 7 Filippo Cristiano, 8 Davide Duca (Mauro Nicolli 56), 9 Tito Tebaldi, 10 Giulio Rubini, 11 Andrea Bacchetti, 12 Alberto Dal Corso (capt), 13 Lorenzo Innocenti, 14 Filippo Vezzosi, 15 Pietro Valcastelli
Not used: Andrea Zampiron, Emanuele Borboni, Nicola Pedrazzani, Michael Wilson, Angelo Pauletti, Francesco Fronzoni, Eugenio Martinelli
Tries: Becarris, Gatto, Valcastelli,penalty try; conversion: Rubini (2); penalties: Duca (2)
U19s main page
|
|
