Match Preview – Italy ‘A’ vs Uruguay

A non-capped international on Sunday sees Uruguay playing on the road against Italy ‘A.’ The meeting is the first of two matches between Los Teros and an Italian side this month. The second is next weekend’s test match in Parma. With Italy and Uruguay in the same pool of RWC 2023 this weekend’s clash is the first look at what one may expect to see in two years time.

The Italy ‘A’ side is the next-of-XV. The team has previously gone by other names. The side that competed in South American in recent Nations Cup competitions was Emerging Italy. The team is the same in terms of the purpose it serves.

Italy ‘A’ contains no shortage of capped players. Up front this comes in the form of Cherif Traoré. The loose head prop was a good performer in a beaten team earlier on in 2021. He will provide his captain, Braam Steyn with valuable assistance throughout the match against Uruguay.

Steyn has a wealth of experience. In addition to his 45 caps for Italy he played for his native South Africa at the junior world championship. He was a Super Rugby player until moving to Italy to continue his career in 2012 while still aged 20.

Veteran scrum-half Marcelo Violi is another who will provide support to his captain. He has over 20 caps for Italy. He will combine in the halves with teeanager Leonardo Marin. Fijian import Iliesa Ratuva Tavuyara will provide explosive support from the left wing. He recently qualified for Italy via three-years-residency.

Uruguay’s line-up is less about today than it is about tomorrow. This is evident particularly in the backs where the highly promising trio of Juan Manuel Alonso, Mateo Viñals and Balatazar Amaya all start. They are all uncapped players though are well-and-truely in the frame for RWC 2023.

The search for depth in the second-row is bieng attended to; Juanjuan Garese and Felipe Aliaga both start. This coincides with Franco Lamanna playing in his natural position of flanker rather than where Uruguay have predominantly used him in RWC matches.

Lamanna joins Santiago Civetta and Manuel Diana in a very strong Uruguayan back-row. It will be further enforced with the second half injection of Uruguay’s outstanding young flanker, Manuel Ardao.

The match will be the fourth between Uruguay and an Italy ‘A’ side since Los Teros’ return to the Rugby World Cup in 2015. The most recent fixture was in 2018 when Uruguay were 23-19 winners over Emerging Italy in the Nations Cup. Just four of the 23 Uruguayans from that day will play against Italy ‘A’ in the upcoming match: Juan Echeverría, Manuel Diana, Rodrigo Silva, and Nicolás Freitas.

 

ITALY ‘A’
1 Cherif Traoré, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 3 Filippo Alongi, 4 Marco Lazzaroni, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 7 Lorenzo Cannone, 8 Braam Steyn (capt.), 9 Marcello Violi, 10 Leonardo Marin, 11 Iliesa Ratuva Tavuyara, 12 Filippo Drago, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 14 Pierre Bruno, 15 Jacopo Trulla

Replacements: 16 Federico Zani, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Leonard Krumov, 20 Matteo Meggiato, 21 Nicolò Casilio, 22 Antonio Rizzi, 23 Enrico Lucchin

URUGUAY
1 Juan Echeverría, 2 Facundo Gattas, 3 Ignacio Péculo, 4 Juanjuan Garese, 5 Felipe Aliaga, 6 Franco Lamanna, 7 Santiago Civetta, 8 Manuel Diana, 9 Tomás Inciarte, 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 11 Nicolás Freitas, 12 Juan Manuel Alonso, 13 Felipe Arcos Pérez, 14 Mateo Viñals, 15 Baltazar Amaya

Replacements: 16 Guillermo Pujadas, 17 Mateo Perillo, 18 Diego Arbelo, 19 Eric Dosantos, 20 Carlos Deus, 21 Manuel Ardao, 22 Juan Manuel Taffernaberry, 23 Rodrigo Silva

Date: Sunday, November 14, 2021
Venue: Stadio Plebiscito, Padova, Italy
Kickoff: 2:30am (Local); 10:30am (Uruguay)
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistants: Adam Leal (England) & Adam Jones (Wales)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

HISTORICAL RESULTS
2018-06-10 – Uruguay 23, Emerging Italy 19 (Montevideo, Uruguay)
2017-06-17 – Uruguay 30, Emerging Italy 21 (Montevideo, Uruguay)
2016-06-09 – Emerging Italy 26, Uruguay 24 (Bucharest, Romania)
2015-06-21 – Emerging Italy 23, Italy 13 (Tbilisi, Georgia)