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As Italian great Sergio Parisse becomes the first player to reach 100 test defeats, we revisit some of his greatest victories.
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ITALY v IRELAND 22-15, 2013
Italy went into their final Six Nations match of 2013 having never beaten Ireland during their time in the competition.
Ireland got off to a fast start, scoring a penalty in the fifth minute to take an early lead.
The Italians fought back in front of their home crowd, with the boots of Luciano Orquera and Gonzalo Garcia giving the Azzurri a slim 9-6 lead heading into the sheds.
Early after the break winger Giovanbattista Venditti scored the only try of the match to extend Italy’s lead to ten.
Captain Sergio Parisse saw yellow in the 51st minute, opening to door for an Irish comeback. Three Paddy Jackson penalties cut the Irish deficit to a single point with just 17 minutes remaining.
The Irish efforts wouldn’t be enough, as two more penalties from Orquera secured a famous Italian win.
Parisse was his usual industrious self, leading all players in run metres with 82 and making six tackles.
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ITALY v ARGENTINA 30-29, 2005
Pierre Berbizier’s first win of his two-year tenure was certainly one to remember.
A big first-half showing from the visitors saw Italy take a 27-13 lead into the sheds.
Argentina scored first through Pablo Bouza, but Italy were quick to reply with flyhalf Ramiro Pez scoring a try just two minutes later.
Sergio Parisse scored Italy’s second try, and centre Gonzalo Canale picked up their third, all of which were converted by fullback Gert Peens.
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To rub salt in the wound, all three of Italy’s tries were scored by Argentine-born players.
After halftime, the Pumas rallied to bring the score back to 27-26.
In the closing stages, Italy had to defend with just 13 men as locks Santiago Dellape (yellow) and Marco Bortolami (red) were sin-binned, but the Azzurri managed to hold on to secure a famous and rare away win in Cordoba.
ITALY v SCOTLAND 37-17, 2007
Another away win after a fast start, Italy scored three converted tries in the first six minutes to race out to a 21-0 lead against Scotland at Murrayfield in 2007.
Capitalising on Scottish mistakes, flanker Mauro Bergamasco charged down a kick to score the first try just 18 seconds in to the match. Five minutes later flyhalf Andrea Scanavacca and and winger Kaine Roberston were on the board after a pair of intercept tries.
The Scottish fought back through captain Chris Paterson and centre Rob Dewey, putting 17 points on the board.
Azzurri halfback Allesandro Troncon added another try and Scanavacca kicked three penalties to ensure Italy’s first ever Six Nations away win, by an impressive margin of 20 points nonetheless.
ITALY v SOUTH AFRICA 20-18, 2016
Arguably Italy’s most famous win – and their only win against a World Cup winning team – the Azzurri edged South Africa 20-18 in 2016.
It looked like business as usual when Bryan Habana crossed for the Springboks in the eighth minute.
Italy responded just three minutes later after pushing over the line from a rolling maul, with South African-born flanker and former club mate of Habana, Dries van Schalkwyk, picking up the score.
Springbok midfielder Damian de Allende scored the visitors’ second try after a 45-metre scamper down the right edge to regain the lead, and an Italian penalty from the boot of fullback Edoardo Padovani made for a 10-12 score line in favour of South Africa at the break.
A Pat Lambie penalty shortly after halftime pushed South Africa’s lead to five points, setting up a tense final third that contained three lead changes.
A two-on-one overlap saw Giovanbattista Venditti score Italy’s second try with 25 minutes remaining to give the home side a two-point advantage, before replacement flyhalf Elton Jantjies edged South Africa back in front with a penalty.
Carlo Canna finished the scoring, slotting a penalty to give Italy their final lead of the game in the 64th minute.
Italy held on tight for the final 15 before Tommaso Allen booted the ball into the stands to give his side a famous victory over Allister Coetzee’s Springboks.
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments