Music: {allcanada} CANADIAN RUGBY TEAM DEFEATS ITALY 'A' TO OPEN CHURCHILL CUP

Saturday, June 4, 2011

{allcanada} CANADIAN RUGBY TEAM DEFEATS ITALY 'A' TO OPEN CHURCHILL CUP

NOTTINGHAM, England -- Canada's rugby team opened its Churchill Cup campaign Saturday with an impressive 26-12 win over Italy 'A'.

Down 9-6 at the half to the Six Nations development side, the Canadians exploded for three second-half tries as part of the convincing victory.

Aaron Carpenter, Jason Marshall and James Pritchard scored tries for Canada, but it was flanker Chauncey O'Toole who was the difference.

"It was a pleasing victory -- but more so because we didn't allow any tries on the day," Canada coach Kieran Crowley said.

The man of the match from Belle Isle, N.B., had a huge afternoon with the ball, setting up many Canadian opportunities and directly feeding Pritchard for the third Canadian try.

"They were a solid team," O'Toole said of the Italians, "but we just really put things together.

"Ander (Monro) put me into a space a few times, and everyone played very well."

Canada, the tournament runner up last year, is using the event as a preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

A win for the 15th-ranked Canadians against No. 19 Russia on Wednesday would guarantee a second straight trip to the Churchill Cup final.

Canada seemed inspired in the second half and was parked on the Italian line within a few minutes. A knock-on by Italy from a Canadian turnover gave Canada a scrum from five metres out with Carpenter taking the back of the scrum and powering over the line.

A sustained attack two minutes later had Marshall touching down as Canada took a 16-9 lead.

The Italians scored a penalty in the 63rd minute but there seemed to be little else they could offer against the well organized Canadian defence.

In the 56th minute, O'Toole found a seem inside the Italian half and ran 25 metres before offloading to a streaking Pritchard, who closed the last fifteen metres under the posts.

Pritchard converted his own try for a 23-9 lead and followed that up with a penalty in the 70th.

Canada held off a late charge as the Italians could only muster a late penalty.

Canada jumped to a 3-0 lead in the eighth minute at Franklin's Gardens, home of English club side Northampton Saints, off an Italian infringement as James Pritchard hit for a 28-metre effort.

The Italians equalized in the 17th minute after a Canadian offside.

At the half hour mark a delayed penalty on the Italian 22-metre line offered Monro a free shot at a drop-goal, which he calmly slotted for a 6-3 Canada lead.

But it only took Italy two minutes to get those points back with another Tito Tebaldi penalty -- 6-6 after 31 minutes.

Just before the half, Canada gave away another penalty for an infringement to trail 9-6 at the break.