The Carling Champions Team which consisted of a blend of Springboks, Blitzboks and some of the most promising youngsters on the local provincial scene, took on Italy A at Nelson Mandela Bay for the second Carling Champions Match. The match was a tightly contested affair especially in the second half when the lead on the scoreboard changed hands. However in the end the Carling Champions team had the last say when they beat Italy A 31-27.
Italy drew first blood early in the first half with a converted try. Both teams made their intentions clear by playing running rugby. The Carling team managed to get more possession and territory as the match progressed. They managed to get good attacking momentum play going, however, Italy managed to absorb the pressure with good defence. Italy increased their lead with another converted try and penalty kick late in the half. The Carling team scored a good try to stay in the hunt. The halftime score was 17-10 in favour of Italy.
The Carling team started playing much better rugby in the second half and created good scoring opportunities which they managed to convert into points. They briefly took the lead on the scoreboard after 50 minutes of play, however, Italy retook the lead with a converted try soon thereafter. The scoreboard lead then kept on changing hands with the Carling Champions team having the last say in the match.
02:22 Gesi scored a try for Italy after finding a gap in the Carling team's defence. The try was converted by Canna (07-00).
20:00 Italy drew first blood with a converted try and both teams played running rugby. The Carling team managed to get more possession and territory as the match progressed and created a few scoring opportunities, however, Italy managed to absorb the pressure with good defence.
22:24 Daniel Kasende opened the scoring tally for the Carling team with a try in the corner. The conversion was missed (07-05).
30:01 Cannone scored a try for Italy from a driving maul from a penalty lineout. The try was converted by Carlo Canna (14-05).
35:33 Siya Masuku scored a great try after he collected his own kick. The conversion was missed (14-10).
40:00 A penalty was given against the Carling team in their half which was kicked by Carlu Canna (17-10).
40:00 The possession and territory kept on changing hands. Italy, who looked like the more cohesive team, scored a good driving maul try and kicked a penalty to increase their lead. The Carling team managed to score a great try after some good pressure play to stay in the hunt.
41:52 A penalty was given against the Carling team in their half which was kicked by Carlu Canna (20-10).
45:21 Keagan Johannes scored a try for the Carling team. The try was converted by Siya Masuku (20-17).
50:50 Nama Xaba scored a great try after the ball went loose from a powerful scrum by the Carling team just inside the Italy try line. The try was converted by Siya Masuku (20-24).
56:04 Clayton Blommetjies was given a yellow card for cynical play.
56:33 Di Bartolomeo from Italy scored a try from a driving maul. The try was converted by Carlu Canna (27-24).
59:30 Bianchi from Italy was given a yellow card for a dangerous tackle.
60:00 The Carling team started playing much better rugby from the start of the second half and created good scoring opportunities which they managed to convert into points. They briefly took the lead on the scoreboard after 50 minutes of play, however, Italy soon thereafter retook the lead with a converted try.
63:01 Dan Jooste scored a try for the Carling team from a powerful driving maul from a penalty lineout. The try was converted by Siya Masuku (27-31).
Scorers:
Carling Champions Team: Tries: Daniel Kasende, Siya Masuku, Keagan Johannes, Nama Xaba, Dan Jooste. Conversions: Siya Masuku (3).
Italy A: Tries: Gesi, Cannone, Di Bartolomeo. Conversions: Canna (3). Penalties: Canna (2).
Teams:
Carling Champions Team: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 David Brits, 12 Cornal Hendricks), 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Keagan Johannes, 8 Mihlali Mosi, 7 Sibusiso Sangweni, 6 Nama Xaba, 5 Janko Swanepoel, 4 Victor Sekekete, 3 Robert Hunt, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima. Replacements: 16 Dan Jooste, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Kwenzo Blose, 19 Shane Kirkwood, 20 Willie Engelbrecht, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Tristan Leyds, 23 Devon Williams
Italy A: 15 Sperandio, 14 Bellini, 13 Drago, 12 Lucchin, 11 Gesi, 10 Canna, 9 Fusco, 8 Cannone, 7 Bianchi, 6 Iachizzi, 5 Piantella, 4 Krumov, 3 Swanepoel, 2 Leccioli, 1 Buonfiglio. Replacements: 16 Di Bartolomeo, 17 Spagnolo, 18 Nocera, 19 Stoian, 20 Izekor, 21 Citton, 22 Di Marco, 23 Luus.
Article by Francois du Toit