Italy will play in next year’s IRB Junior World Championship having won the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Temuco, southern Chile, on Sunday, beating Canada in a pulsating final.
With a solid team that performed well in each of its four games, and was ably led by fullback Angelo Esposito, the Italians beat a tough Canadian outfit 45-23 in the decider to mark a return to the top flight of Under 20 international Rugby.
Afterwards, a delighted Esposito said: “I have no words to describe this moment. We are overjoyed that we have taken Italy back to the JWC. The way the public supported this tournament was incredible and it certainly pushed us to play our best Rugby.”
Coach Gianlucca Guidi explained why his team won. “We treated every game like it was a final and we studied every opponent to ensure we were ready for the challenges. This is my last tournament with the national team and I retire with the joy of the win.”
CLICK HERE FOR A FULL MATCH REPORT >>
On the final day of competition, there was a win also for home team Chile – who came third by virtue of a thrilling win over Japan in front of more than 10,000 spectators – while Tonga beat Portugal and Uruguay were too strong for Namibia.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE LATEST TOURNAMENT NEWS >>
