Rampant Italy rout Eagles as France hand Argentina First Defeat
IslandStats.com
The Italian Classic XV produced a ruthless attacking display to dismantle the Classic Eagles 47-19, while Classic France ended Argentina Legends' unbeaten run with a gritty 29-17 victory.
With both Italy and the United States desperate to recover from opening-night setbacks, it was the Azzurri who roared back into form, overwhelming the Eagles with a devastating 47-point blitz before a late American consolation salvo restored some pride.
Later in the evening, France laid down an emphatic marker, riding a blistering early start and second-half discipline to hand the previously unblemished Pumas their first defeat of the tournament.
The Classic Eagles struck first with an unconverted try out wide to take an early 5-0 advantage, but the opening score served only to ignite the Italian engine.
Capitalising on broken play and defensive errors, Italy crossed three times in rapid succession, adding the extras each time to surge into a 21-5 lead. A fourth try just before the interval stretched the margin to 26-5, leaving the Americans completely shell-shocked.
Any hopes of an American resurgence evaporated immediately after the restart. The Italians maintained relentless pressure, cutting through the midfield at will to pile on three converted scores and build a commanding 47-5 cushion.
To their credit, the Eagles fought until the final whistle, capitalizing on late Italian substitutions to register two converted tries in the closing minutes, but Italy had long since sealed a dominant 47-19 win.
In the night's marquee encounter, Classic France demonstrated ruthless efficiency to derail the Argentina Legends XV.
Les Bleus stormed out of the blocks, crossing for two converted tries inside the opening quarter to establish a sharp 14-0 lead. Argentina responded with their trademark physicality, grinding over the line twice to slash the deficit to 14-10.
A crucial French penalty on the stroke of half-time provided breathing room at 17-10, and they pressed home that advantage after the break. A third try pushed the score to 22-10 before another converted effort made it 29-10 to firmly shut the door.
Argentina grabbed a late score to close the gap to 29-17, but France comfortably managed the closing exchanges to ensure the Legends' perfect record came to a definitive halt.
