Recap

Rugby league (rugby XIII) national team under 19 Italy  face today the same age of Ukraine in the playoff that is worth access to the 2018 European Championship. Match was  played on Saturday, May 19 at Fogliano Redipuglia, a town of 3 thousand inhabitants in the province of Gorizia. It is not the first time that the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and in this case Fogliano host an international event of rugby league. Also  the same capital hosted a few months ago rugby union under 20 match Italy vs England in the 6 Nations.

Excellent game for Italy witch came to a convincing 50-0 (22-0) win. Italy was a much better rival and deserved to win. With this win Italy provided participation on Rugby League U19 Europena Championship, witch will be held in Belgrade from 4 to 11 August 2018.

Italian coach Salvatore Pezzano said:”The guys have achieved the goal and they did it in a determined manner. We were good, and leading the match from the first to the last minute. We try to keep the concentration high in every situation; especially when they put the race on the physical plane, but we responded with a truly impeccable defensive organization. Now it is already time to prepare and think about the Belgrade Rugby League U19 European Championship. These 10 days of withdrawal were fundamental to build a team and to amalgamate the group. Now we as a Federation must continue on these standards of work to ensure the best for this group. Because ,  to representing Italy to the European Championship, is also the future of our rugby league movement (rugby XIII)”.

UNDER 19: ITALY vs UKRAINE 50-0 (22-0)

Fogliano Di Redipuglia 19 May 2018, Stadium: Fogliano. Spectators: 150. Referee: Radoslav Novakovic (Serbia)  touch judges:

Points for Italy: Tries 9 – Alfio Laudani (5), Antony Virzi(8), Fabio Morosi (20), Giovanni Sciacca (23),Antony Virzi (39), Simone Leotta (47), Cacopardo Antonio (51), Fabio Morosi (60), Nicholas Ferrero (63) Goals: Francesco Mendosa (7/9)

Italia: Sciacca, Privitera, Virzì, Dalmasso, Laudani, Arena, Mendosa, Artale, Cacopardo, Rizzo, Di Sano, Signorelli, Morosi. Substitution: Cenci, Lipera, Ferrero, Leotta.

Ukraine: Hapon, Bedulia, Bredovskyi, Serafym, Vasylyshyn, Beznoshchuk, Puchkov, Chervinskyi, Rudov, Bolshakov, Kovach, Shvets, Petrenko. Substitution: Iuchenko, Shelepovskyi, Moroz, Piatnytskyi.