The All Blacks won a challenging match against Italy on Saturday, finishing their autumn rugby series with a 29-11 victory in Turin.
Despite being favourites, the All Blacks faced strong resistance from an Italian team that showed significant improvement from past encounters. This marked the 17th consecutive win for New Zealand against Italy, though it was far from their most dominant performance.
Italy started strong, taking an early 6-3 lead through two penalties by Paolo Garbisi. New Zealand’s first try came despite being down a player after captain Scott Barrett was shown a yellow card. Cam Roigard’s clever dummy move and a try from Will Jordan, both converted by Beauden Barrett, gave the All Blacks a 17-6 advantage at halftime.
Italy continued to press in the second half, holding New Zealand under pressure for long stretches. However, they struggled to convert opportunities into points. The All Blacks extended their lead with a try by Mark Tele’a, but Italy’s Tommaso Menoncello answered with a late try of his own, thrilling the crowd.
The match also saw emotional moments as Sam Cane and TJ Perenara played their final games for the All Blacks before heading to Japan. Perenara led the haka one last time, while Cane received a standing ovation from the Italian fans.
Although the All Blacks managed a last-minute try by Beauden Barrett, their performance left room for improvement, as they often appeared off pace against a determined Italian side. Italy’s effort was a marked improvement from their 96-17 loss to New Zealand at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
