Dunedin to host Ireland vs Italy tomorrow
Sat, 01 Oct 2011 6:42p.m.
The Italian RWC side have their final training in Dunedin before tomorrow's match
By Dave Goosselink
Ireland and Italy have the honour of playing the final pool match tomorrow night in Dunedin.
Pressure rugby boiling over this afternoon at Otago stadium with stocky prop Martin Castrogiovanni taking out his tensions on teammate Riccardo Bocchino during their captain's run.
It is do or die for Italy in the tournament's final Pool C clash.
But retiring coach Nick Mallett is happy with how he is leaving the team.
“We've completely turned around the way that other teams think about Italy. You know they used to be very confident to put their B team in against us,” says Mallett. “And no one puts their B team against Italy anymore.”
The Irish meanwhile are fielding the oldest squad at this Rugby World Cup.
Captain Brian O'Driscoll will be making his 114th test appearance in the emerald green jersey.
But even winning three games in a row has not made the job any easier.
“I suppose we always would have thought at the start that it was going to be a very important fixture,” says O’Driscoll. “We felt as though we had the capabilities of beating Australia, but it hasn't made it any different from our original thought that we'd have to beat Italy in the final day.”
And flanker Stephen Ferris admits Sunday’s match still comes down to knockout rugby.
“It's a massive game for us and everything's on the line, and we're prepared for that.”
Quarter-final success for one side, but an early flight back to Europe for the others.
3 News