Italy vs Uruguay LIVE: Rugby World Cup score and latest updates
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Italy take on Uruguay in this Pool A encounter knowing that a victory of any kind will take them to the top of the table ahead of both France and New Zealand.
They kicked off their Rugby World Cup campaign with a strong performance against Namibia and Kieran Crowley’s side will have their sights set on the quarter-finals should they be victorious in Nice this afternoon.
Los Teros, meanwhile, pushed France much closer than expected in their first Pool A fixture, eventually falling to a 27-12 defeat, but will have enough confidence to back up that performance after a six-day turnaround.
This match is set to be a close and exciting affair and could set Italy up as favourites to progress should they also secure another bonus point.
Follow all the action from the Stade de Nice below. Plus get all the latest Rugby World Cup odds and tips here.
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Moments after his side produced an outstanding showing against France last week, Uruguay captain Andres Vilaseca wanted to make a point. “The first comment that comes to my mind is the number of journalists I see here, compared to the press conference for our team announcement where we only saw two people,” Vilaseca sounded off to a packed press room. “I just wanted to highlight how few journalists were there.”
Welcome to the Rugby World Cup away from the elite. Uruguay take on Italy in their second pool fixture on Wednesday evening, the third tournament match in five days in Nice. After the fervour brought by the travelling fans at the weekend, when Wales took on Portugal and England met Japan, the city feels strangely subdued; the big tournament buzz, mostly, gone.
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Uruguay and Portugal produced standout performances on the second weekend of the tournament, pushing France and Wales closer than expected.
Ireland and South Africa, meanwhile, remain unbeaten ahead of a crunch Pool B meeting this weekend in Paris.
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Why are England kicking so much at the Rugby World Cup?
Winning ugly, it is said, is a hallmark of great sides, but it can be an indicator of an average one, too. What, then, are England, who have one foot in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals after beating Japan? For 60 minutes on Sunday, they produced a performance that only a mother could love – but a final quarter acceleration ensured they took five pool points away from a tricky evening.
It may depend on how you view a Rorschach contest of a game and the merits of England’s kick pressure strategy. Take the positives, as England were understandably inclined to afterwards, and a bonus point win was job very much done. Japan are not the force of four years ago but produced a stern defensive showing for good periods of the fixture. Their trademark attacking invention tested England’s own ramparts, but these held firm – one try conceded in two games is an excellent return.
There must also be some benefit of the doubt extended to both sides for Sunday night’s sloppiness in slippery conditions. The humidity of the ongoing French heatwave is causing all teams problems in handling and taking contact. Errors have been a regular theme of virtually every game at this tournament.
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Italy vs Uruguay prediction
Uruguay will target a fast start and a similar performance to last week, but a short turnaround may see them fade late on, allowing Italy to take victory.
Italy 38-19 Uruguay.
Italy vs Uruguay line-ups
Italy XV: Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Marco Riccioni; Niccolo Cannone, Federico Ruzza; Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (captain), Lorenzo Cannone; Alessandro Garbisi, Tommaso Allan; Monty Ioane, Paolo Garbisi, Juan Ignacio Brex, Lorenzo Pani; Ange Capuozzo.
Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Pietro Ceccarelli, Dino Lamb, Manuel Zuliani, Giovanni Pettinelli; Alessandro Fusco, Paolo Odogwu
Uruguay XV: Mateo Sanguinetti, German Kessler, Ignacio Peculo; Felipe Aliaga, Manuel Leindekar; Manuel Ardao, Santiago Civetta, Manuel Diana; Santiago Arata, Felipe Etcheverry; Nicolas Freitas, Andres Vilaseca (captain), Tomas Inciarte, Gaston Mieres; Baltazar Amaya.
Replacements: Guillermo Pujadas, Facundo Gattas, Diego Arbelo, Ignacio Dotti, Carlos Deus; Agustin Ormaechea, Felipe Berchesi, Bautista Basso
Italy vs Uruguay team news
Italy reshuffle their backline for their second pool fixture, with Tommy Allan moved forward to fly half and Paolo Garbisi sliding into midfield to partner Juan Ignacio Brex. That allows Ange Capuozzo to take up his preferred position at full back.
Marco Riccioni and Lorenzo Cannone are brought into the starting pack, while Alessandro Garbisi is promoted at nine. The presence of two sets of brothers (Cannone and Garbisi) in the starting side is a first for Italy at a Rugby World Cup.
After such an impressive performance against France, Esteban Meneses makes minimal alterations to his Uruguay team. Experienced hooker German Kessler returns in the front row, while Gaston Mieres also offers a wise head on the wing.
Facundo Gattas, who came on at hooker in the France defeat, showcases his versatility by offering loosehead prop cover, with Meneses opting for a 5:3 bench split having gone with an extra forward replacement last week.
How to watch Italy vs Uruguay
Italy vs Uruguay is due to kick off at 4.45pm BST on Wednesday 20 September at the Stade de Nice.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV4, with coverage on the channel from 4pm BST. Registered users can stream the action via ITVX.
Italy vs Uruguay
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the Rugby World Cup.
Today, there’s some action from Pool A as Italy take on Uruguay with quite a lot at stake. The Italians are hoping to get through a touch group that also features hosts France and New Zealand. Italy won their opening match against Namibia in fierce fashion and another victory against Uruguay would see them move to the top of the group.
Uruguay lost to France in their opening match but they put in a much-applauded performance and will be difficult to beat this afternoon.
This one should be a cracker and it all kicks off in just under an hour’s time.
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