Player ratings: A bridge too far for Italy

Italy exited the 2011 Rugby World Cup with a 6-36 loss to Ireland on Sunday. After their heroics against the USA Eagles, which kept their slim quarterfinal hopes alive, it was not the way Nick Mallett would have wanted his four-year reign to end.

The passionate Azzurri, playing for their coach and playing for an unlikely quarterfinal place, were competitive up until half-time – which saw them trail by 6-9 – but it fell apart for them in the second stanza.

The first-half injury to talisman prop Martin Castrogiovanni would not have helped them but it remains to be seen if his presence would have changed the final scoreline as Ireland’s scrum looked strong even with Castro on the park. In fact, coach Mallett admitted just that himself afterwards.

But – like Mallett also admitted – this is a very, very good Irish side who forced the Italians to make 97 tackles – the Azzurri, to their credit, missing just 13 – and also kept them tryless, despite spending seven minutes in Ireland’s 22-metre area.

Howard Kahn rates the Italian players:

15 Andrea Masi:
His return to fitness was always going to be crucial to the Azzurri’s chances. However, he did not see the ball enough on attack. He blotted his copybook late in the game with a pass to nobody which resulted in a penalty which Jonathan Sexton slotted to make it 29-6. There was, of course, also the slip-up on defence shortly before full-time – when he struggled to gather Tommy Bowe’s kick ahead which nearly led to a try (and should have been a penalty try).
4/10

14 Tommaso Benvenuti:
Could have done better on defence in Keith Earls’s first try and should have conceded a penalty try when he tackled Tommy Bowe on the tryline without the ball shortly before full-time. Like the rest of his backline, he did not have any real opportunities on attack.
4/10

13 Gonzalo Canale:
One nice run in the last ten minutes but spent most of his evening chasing Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy.
5/10

12 Gonzalo Garcia:
Missed a flying Bowe – in the midfield – in the lead-up to O’Driscoll’s try. It was a crucial slip… at a crucial stage in the match.
4/10

11 Mirco Bergamasco:
Kicked his goals and made his tackles. He had no real attacking opportunities, however.
6/10

10 Luciano Orquera:
He was solid enough in the first half but his substitution was hardly noticed – until his replacement, Riccardo Bocchino, missed two crucial tackles. He certainly was better defensively than the man he replaced.
5/10

9 Fabio Semenzato:
There was one box-kick which went out directly into touch in the 14th minute, but he did not do much wrong otherwise. In fact, he made up for it straightaway with a good kick for territory. Lively, as always, and delivered quick ball to his flyhalves.
7/10

8 Sergio Parisse (captain):
Italy’s brave captain led from the front, ending the match with plenty of blood on his face and emotion during the post-match interview. It was not enough, however; especially against Ireland’s deadly loose trio which hunted so well as a unit.
7/10

7 Mauro Bergamasco:
Overshadowed and outplayed by arguably the best No.7 at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He was replaced with over half-an-hour remaining.
5/10

6 Alessandro Zanni:
There was a nice ‘steal’ on the floor late in the first half – as he snapped up a loose ball – and he made over ten tackles; missing Andrew Trimble at the death for Ireland’s third try. He never stopped trying but was up against a very combative Irish loose trio.
5/10

5 Cornelius van Zyl:
Tackled his heart out (making 11 tackles), as he has done throughout the World Cup.
5/10

4 Quintin Geldenhuys:
Made eight tackles, but was not able to impose himself with ball in hand.
5/10

3 Martin Castrogiovanni:
Limped off shortly before half-time which seemed to upset Italy’s bit of rhythm they’d built up by then. Crucially, however, his loss also seemed to galvanise Ireland at the same time. Some good carries early on but he found the going a bit tough, by his standards, during his 37-minute stint.
6/10

2 Leonardo Ghiraldini:
He could find himself in hot water for an alleged eye gouge on Ireland loosehead prop Cian Healy. There is simply NO place for that in rugby. Missed his jumper at a crucial stage – in the 66th minute – when they were trailing 6-26.
4/10

1 Salvatore Perugini:
Was moved to tighthead prop after Castrogiovanni went off and it didn’t do him many favours. Was well looked after by both his opposite numbers in the Irish pack – one such occasion in the first half saw him lucky not to concede a scrumming penalty for having his hand on the ground.
5/10

Replacements:

16 Fabio Ongaro (On for Leonardo Ghiraldini, 67th min):
Not enough time to be rated.

17 Andrea Lo Cicero (On for Martin Castrogiovanni, 37th min):
Had to fill Castrogiovanni’s big boots and, like those before him – and alongside him in the Italian front row – was well looked after by Ireland.
5/10

18 Marco Bortolami (On for Cornelius van Zyl, 60th min):
Took two line-out balls. But that aside, he did not have enough opportunities to be rated fairly.

19 Paul Derbyshire (On for Mauro Bergamasco, 49th min):
Made his presence felt as soon as he replaced Bergamasco. However, he also struggled against the Irish back row of Ferris, O’Brien and Heaslip – probably the best balanced trio at the World Cup.
5/10

20 Edoardo Gori (On for Fabio Semenzato, 56th min):
Was lively, like the man he replaced, and tried to get stuck in… but the match was lost by the time he entered the fray.
6/10

21 Riccardo Bocchino (On for Luciano Orquera, 41st min):
Missed two crucial tackles – on Tommy Bowe and Gordon D’Arcy – which both led to Irish tries. He was clearly a target for the Irish runners in the second half and he could not cope with the traffic in his channel.
3/10

22 Luke McLean (On for Sergio Parisse, 77th min):
Replaced his captain ‘up front’, after Italy ran out of forward replacements. Not enough time to be rated, however.