LI 60 - 11 I Cavalieri Prato

There has been some debate on here in recent weeks over the pros and cons of various match reporting styles, and indeed, whether there is any need for match reports at all. For Amlin Cup and LV Cup games this is perhaps not the case.

These games tend to receive a smaller audience, both live and from media coverage and a more thorough match report can often be more useful than for the more well-attended Premiership games. So I set out to the Madejski on Friday night with every intention of producing a detailed match report for those of you unable to make it.

That being said, it turned out to be a freezing evening, far too cold for detailed note-taking, and so my plans for a meticulous match report sadly went awry. However, I will do my best to describe the tries in perhaps a bit more detail than was provided by the live updates, while commenting on the individual performances of each player.

The first try came after a powerful burst from Tom Fowlie down his right wing. He then looked for the offload inside to Darren Allinson, who was pulled back by one of the Prato covering defenders. It was an obvious penalty, from which Myles Dorrian poked the ball into the corner for the line-out. A routine catch and drive saw the ball manoeuvred to the back of the maul, with Jimmy Stevens eventually dotting down. It was a display of sheer power that the Prato pack was unable to match for the majority of the game.

Irish continued to exert their dominance on the game, playing most of the match in the Prato half. The ‘loop-round’ play which has become fairly typical of Irish under Brian Smith’s tenure, with the scrum half or fly half looping around a forward runner, again reaped some rewards here, with Bryn Evans feeding Myles Dorrian, who dummied through the Prato line, before slicing past the full back for a very well-taken score under the posts.

Slick handling down the left flank, eventually saw Alex Lewington slip a pass to Andrew Fenby, who with almost no room managed to power his way over his opposite man and, with legs in the air, reach over the line. Next up was Sailosi Tagicakibau, who waited patiently outside Dorrian while the forwards carried deep into the Prato 22. After a series of pick and goes, Allinson finally released Dorrian who fed a simple pass to Tagicakibau. With Fowlie outside, the big Samoan dummied and stepped back inside for a powerful finish. Half time and the bonus point was secured.

Tagicakibau was at the heart of the next try too, a step and burst through the middle of the Prato defence saw him combine with Mulchrone who was able to easily run the ball in. It was unselfish play from Tagicakibau who could have gone for the score himself. A neat inside ball from Myles Dorrian saw Lewington run over the line without a finger being laid on him for try number six and Lewington created the next try with a burst of pace that left defenders trailing in his wake. Having burnt most of the Prato backline, a simple inside ball to Mulchrone saw the centre go over for his second of the night.

Topsy Ojo made an immediate impression once on, combining well down the right wing with Dorrian. Although the ball was knocked out of the fly half’s hands, it went backwards and was snapped up by Allinson, who sprinted in from just outside the 22 before diving over in the corner. Prato scored next after a piece of slightly too adventurous play from Shane Geraghty, but Irish had the final word with a well-deserved pick and go try from Leo Halavatau.

Generally speaking it was a strange game to observe. Irish put 60 points on their opponents and did many things well, but there were definitely things that could be improved. Several players were guilty of trying to do too much with the ball in hand on their own, perhaps under-estimating Prato’s defence. This aspect was definitely improved in the second half, with both Lewington and Tagicakibau unselfishly giving passes for trys when they could have been tempted to go it alone. The pack held up well whilst Yapp, Stevens and Halavatau were on, but began to crumble when the younger boys Harris and Palframan came on. However, considering that this was by no means the strongest side available to Smith and Delaney, it was a good indication of the squad’s strength in depth.

Yapp – A solid 50 minutes before being replaced by Harris. Carried well on a couple of occasions and easily got the better of his opposite man in the scrums.
Stevens – A real livewire. Carried hard and was enthusiastic around the park.
Halavatau – Fantastic performance. Turning into a really strong carrier and destroyed his opposite man at scrum time. He also does a lot of good work at the ruck.
Rouse – A bit of a cliché for a second row, but it was a workman like performance. He ran the line-out well.
Evans – Showed good handling skills on a couple of occasions and functioned well at the line-out.
Danaher – Led a young side very well and did his own job admirably. He tackled strongly throughout.
Sinclair – A bit quieter than Danaher, but did not do anything wrong. A useful option at the front of the line-out.
Cowan – Unfortunately, he was guilty of trying the miracle offload on a few too many occasions. His carrying was good, but he looks like more of a second wave carrier from the flanker position, rather than an abrasive Number 8 carrier.
Allinson – A good performance for the full 80 minutes. Quick service and a willingness to break from deep. He went the wrong way on a couple of occasions, however.
Dorrian – Very impressive performance. He has lots of time on the ball and a good pass. He also showed an ability to take the ball up to the line and break down defences. He looks like a great third option for the fly half role.
Fenby – One good break from deep and a great finish for the try. He got bundled into touch on a couple of occasions when he perhaps should have stayed in-field. A decent game though.
Tagicakibau – Slightly guilty of trying too much on his own in the first half, but improved in this respect once he had got his try. A constant threat and always beat the first defender.
Mulchrone – In the right place at the right time for two easy tries. He carried well when given space and is a very solid defender. Impressive performance.
Fowlie – For an 18 year old he is already physically capable of playing at this level. Won all of his collisions and his enthusiasm was a delight to see. He will play a lot more games for us I hope.
Lewington – His speed was incredible and at times made him look like he was playing in fast forward. A joy to behold and a player with so much talent.

Subs:

Harris and Palframan were taught a bit of a lesson at scrum time, but that is to be expected. Both were strong in defence whilst on the pitch. Geraghty had a bit of a mad moment with his run that led to the turnover for the Prato try. Ojo added the spark that he always does.

Brian will have some tough decisions to make before the game against Lusitanos, but whatever he decides, he has a squad of willing troopers who can all do a job. Although the starting XV, on paper and to outsiders, perhaps looks weaker than last season’s, there is definitely more ability once you get down to the third and fourth choices in positions than last year.