Italy seal third spot in Pool D with closing Romania win

Italy 32 Romania 22

With their Six Nations place under increasing scrutiny at this World Cup, Italy will have been relieved to have won their final game comfortably 32-22. Whatever hope Romania had finishing third in Pool D and sticking it to their near neighbours were effectively ended when the lock Johann van Heerden was sin-binned within the first 15 minutes, for a cynical infringement, leaving his feet out in a manner designed to trip up an opposition player. The yellow card left Romania’s pack 118kg lighter and spiked their own guns. Still, a second half performance that included three tries for the Oaks suggests they have plenty to say on the subject of European rugby.

The sell-out crowd initially seemed to be rooting for Italy, no doubt motivated by the local signing of the Italy centre Michele Campagnaro, who will be free to play his first game for Exeter Chiefs now his World Cup is over. This was Campagnaro’s first appearance at his new home ground, and the crowd swung their Italian flags jauntily along to Il Canto degli Italiani.

The game had promised plenty and here in the west country there was a genuine appreciation in this rugby heartland of what this apparently dead-rubber meant: the clash that looked forward, the one that promised automatic qualification for the next World Cup in 2019. For Romania, finishing above Italy would have been a worthy indicator of their development. For Italy, a win not only avoided humiliation after a roundly unsuccessful World Cup, but staved off some pressing criticism.

Romania took the initial lead from their first scrum, two and a half minutes in. They monstered Italy with exactly the kind of power they had showed in the last moments of their game against Canada. Their pack, 41kg heavier than the opposition, rolled straight through their opponents and won a penalty that Florin Vlaicu slotted over. But their defensive weakness was quickly exposed when, only a few minutes later, the Italy scrum-half Eduardo Gori found a huge hole from the lineout. Romania were given a lifeline when the TMO showed that Gori had lost control before grounding.

But the Romanian forwards, strong as they were, just could not cover enough ground. All Italy needed to do was test their line often enough, and there were opportunities all over. They strung the ball out wide to the right touchline, then quickly sent it all the way back, where a speedy interjection from Campagnaro saw the ball to Sarto for an easy touchdown in the corner.

Tommaso Allan did not make the conversion, but that was a rare mistake in an otherwise brilliant game for the once-Scottish fly-half who has changed his name from Tommy. There was a devilishly tricky kick into the corner that would have brought about an instant try if Venditti's throw had been straight; there was a try of his own, from a sudden burst of speed to the line, and another created for Francesco Minto in almost the exact same way.

By that point, Romania had lost Van Heerden, and Italy’s pack was in control. A put-in near the five metre line resulted in a third try, and redemption for Gori, who made sure, during his diagonal lurch at the line, to get the ball down. Romania did stage a comeback, one which showed both the strength and weakness of their forward-oriented play. Their supporters chanted on their mauling pack as they reached within touching distance of Italy’s line and their captain, Valentin Ursache, came within a metre of touching down. But as they threw their bodies into Italy’s defence again and again, they butted themselves to an impasse, only releasing the ball to the backs when both momentum and overlap had been lost.

There were glimpses of class from the Romanian wing Paula Kinikinilau, and then, with half an hour left in their World Cup, Romania began to run at the thick blue line with renewed verve. They were rewarded with two tries, from the substitute wing Adrian Apostol, and from the second-row Valentin Poparlan. Two minutes from full time, they won a scrum in front of the posts. Vlaicu flighted a long pass to see Apostol over in the corner. Suddenly, they looked Italy's equals again.

(Guardian service)