Manuel Zuliani gets 8.5 and tops our Italy player ratings after the 19–14 defeat by Argentina at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa on Saturday, in Round 5 of the Nations Championship. The flanker won five turnovers, close to as many as the whole Argentina team managed (six), made 19 tackles and was the official player of the match.
Italy did not trail for the first 54 minutes, and they had a penalty in the last minute, five points down, but Paolo Garbisi’s kick for the corner did not find touch. It was their 10th straight defeat by Argentina. Who carries the most blame: the lineout, the discipline or that last kick?
‘We could have won it’
“We put our heart and soul into it and played to win but we made mistakes that are unacceptable at this level,” Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada said, as reported by AP. “I have a lot of faith in this team, almost more than they do themselves. … I’m proud of our response but we could have won it, and this feeling of unfinished business remains.”
At his press conference, Quesada put his finger on the 20th to 30th minute, when Italy were 7–0 up and on top. That was the time to crush Argentina, he said, and Italy were not ruthless; their own errors, above all at the scrum, let the Pumas back in, LaPresse reported. Knowing they could still have won it with 30 seconds left “fa male” (it hurts), he added.
Captain Giacomo Nicotera made the same point to Sky Sport Italia: the first half could have finished with three Italy tries and instead ended 7–7, OnRugby reported.
Where Italy let it slip
The official stats back Quesada up. Argentina had 63 per cent of the ball, but Italy made 317 metres to 285, eight line breaks to six and won nine turnovers to six. They also made 174 tackles to Argentina’s 90.
Italy’s lineout was the problem. It worked 70.59 per cent of the time, against Argentina’s 94.74, which means five of Italy’s 17 throws were lost. Two went in the Argentina 22 midway through the first half, one of them stolen by Guido Petti, and another went with three minutes left.
Monty Ioane scored after four minutes, chasing Leonardo Marin’s grubber to the left corner, and Tommaso Allan converted from out wide. Argentina’s scrum gave away three penalties in the first half. Fly-half Tomás Albornoz was sin-binned after 28 minutes, yet Argentina then had their best spell, and hooker Bautista Bernasconi scored from a lineout drive two minutes before the break. Albornoz was back on in time to convert for 7–7.
How Argentina pulled away
Argentina thought they had scored early in the second half, but Mateo Carreras’ try was ruled out for a knock-on by scrum-half Simón Benítez Cruz. Rodrigo Isgró then finished an overlap from a scrum after 54 minutes, and Albornoz hit the post with the conversion.
Replacement lock Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi was sin-binned for Italy’s repeated team penalties within minutes of coming on. Argentina scored straight away, Carreras cutting inside for 19–7.
Italy’s maul hauled them back. Joel Sclavi was sin-binned for pulling one down after 62 minutes, and when Efraín Elías went the same way three minutes later, referee Nika Amashukeli awarded a penalty try. For about three minutes it was 14 against 13, but Italy did not score again.
Argentina were without their injured captain and hooker, Julián Montoya. Felipe Contepomi said that the team’s character “was spectacular and admirable”, according to AP, after a run of defeats that included a 42–12 loss in Dublin the week before.
“What we improved was our connection and cohesion compared to last week,” the Argentina head coach said. “We also minimized unforced errors but there are still too many for the international level. I think we’re on the right track.”
He also told ESPN it was a “medio a cero” win, an Argentine phrase for winning by the barest margin, La Nación and Fuego 24 reported. He said his side were heavily penalised at the scrum and did not score enough when they got into the 22.
Our view: Italy were the better side for most of the first 40 minutes and lost it at the set piece. Argentina’s scrum gave away three penalties before the break, but no side wins a Test with a lineout that loses five of 17 throws. They have now lost six in a row since beating England in Rome in March.
Italy player ratings
15 Tommaso Allan – 6.5
Converted Ioane’s try from out wide and carried 11 times for 44 metres with two line breaks. Just missed a long-range penalty from inside his own half with the score at 7–0.
14 Ange Capuozzo – 6
Busy early, with 10 carries and two offloads, but they produced only 18 metres. Conceded two penalties.
13 Paolo Odogwu – 5.5
Ten tackles, but one carry for no metres in 69 minutes. Federico Mori made 18 metres in his 11 minutes off the bench.
12 Leonardo Marin – 7.5
His grubber made Italy’s try. Won two turnovers, made 11 tackles and an interception in the first half, and carried 11 times for 33 metres.
11 Monty Ioane – 8
Scored the try and made 98 metres from 13 carries, nearly three times as many as anyone in an Argentina shirt. His four line breaks were the most on the pitch. Three penalties conceded keep him off an 8.5.
10 Paolo Garbisi – 5.5
Sixteen passes and eight tackles, in a game Varney mostly steered with the boot. With the last penalty of the match, five points down, his kick for the corner missed touch and the game was over.
9 Stephen Varney – 7
Italy’s best attacker early on. Made 30 passes and 28 metres, with a line break, and kicked 10 times from hand, the most in the Italy side. Replaced after 76 minutes.
1 Danilo Fischetti – 7
Thirteen tackles in 56 minutes, and part of the scrum that kept winning penalties from Argentina.
2 Giacomo Nicotera (captain) – 5.5
Twelve tackles and a captain’s shift in the loose, but Italy’s lineout lost five of 17 throws, including two in the Argentina 22 in the first half. Replaced after 56 minutes.
3 Simone Ferrari – 7
The scrum’s success rate was 100 per cent and Argentina’s front row kept giving away penalties. Ten tackles.
4 Niccolò Cannone – 6.5
Thirteen tackles and a lineout win in 56 minutes.
5 Federico Ruzza – 6.5
Won six lineouts, half of the 12 Italy kept and the most on the pitch, and made eight tackles.
6 Ross Vintcent – 7.5
Made 22 tackles, the most on the pitch, won three lineouts and stole the ball at an Argentina maul early in the second half. Three penalties conceded.
7 Manuel Zuliani – 8.5
Player of the match. Five turnovers, two of them in the first 16 minutes to stop Argentina in the Italy 22, plus 19 tackles and another turnover late on with Italy chasing the game.
8 Lorenzo Cannone – 7.5
Seventeen tackles, two turnovers and a line break. One of those turnovers came on his own five-metre line after 51 minutes, with Argentina pressing.
Replacements
16 Gianmarco Lucchesi – 6.5 – Beat six defenders, the most on the pitch, in 24 minutes.
17 Muhamed Hasa – 6 – Five carries and three tackles in the last 24 minutes.
18 Marco Riccioni – 6 – Held the scrum steady after replacing Ferrari at 56 minutes.
19 Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi – 5 – Sin-binned for Italy’s repeated penalties within minutes of coming on, and Argentina scored their third try straight away.
20 Alessandro Ortombina – Not rated – Four minutes.
21 Samuele Locatelli – Not used
22 Alessandro Garbisi – Not rated – Four minutes.
23 Federico Mori – 6 – Four carries for 18 metres in 11 minutes off the bench.
What next: Fiji for Italy, France for Argentina
Italy host Fiji in Udine on Saturday 21 November, in the last round of the pool stage. Fiji are the only other side without a win. Italy’s losing bonus point in Genoa was their first point of the competition, and they are bottom of the northern table.
Argentina go to the Stade de France the same day to play France, who top the northern table after beating South Africa 21–19 in Paris in Round 5. Kick-off is 9.10pm in Paris. The Pumas are on 11 points, third in the southern table before Australia’s game in Scotland on Sunday.
Quick answers
What was the score in Italy v Argentina? Argentina won 19–14 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa on 14 November 2026. It was 7–7 at half-time.
Who scored the tries in Italy v Argentina? Monty Ioane and a penalty try for Italy, with Tommaso Allan converting Ioane’s try. Bautista Bernasconi, Rodrigo Isgró and Mateo Carreras scored for Argentina, and Tomás Albornoz kicked two conversions.
Who was player of the match in Italy v Argentina? Italy flanker Manuel Zuliani, who won five turnovers and made 19 tackles.
When do Argentina play France? Saturday 21 November 2026 at the Stade de France, kick-off 9.10pm Paris time.
Full match statistics
All figures below are from the official Nations Championship post-match report (PDF). Argentina beat Italy 19–14 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, on Saturday 14 November 2026. The referee was Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) and the crowd was 24,615, the Italian federation reported. Minutes are as printed in the report.
Scoring timeline
| Min | Event | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Try: Monty Ioane (ITA) | 5–0 |
| 5 | Con: Tommaso Allan (ITA) | 7–0 |
| 28 | Yellow card: Tomás Albornoz (ARG) | 7–0 |
| 38 | Try: Bautista Bernasconi (ARG) | 7–5 |
| 39 | Con: Tomás Albornoz (ARG) | 7–7 |
| HT | Half-time | 7–7 |
| 54 | Try: Rodrigo Isgró (ARG) | 7–12 |
| 58 | Yellow card: Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi (ITA) | 7–12 |
| 59 | Try: Mateo Carreras (ARG) | 7–17 |
| 60 | Con: Tomás Albornoz (ARG) | 7–19 |
| 62 | Yellow card: Joel Sclavi (ARG) | 7–19 |
| 64 | Penalty try (ITA) | 14–19 |
| 65 | Yellow card: Efraín Elías (ARG) | 14–19 |
Team stats
| Stat | Italy | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 36.99% | 63.01% |
| Metres made | 317 | 285 |
| Carries | 97 | 138 |
| Passes | 93 | 150 |
| Kicks from hand | 17 | 18 |
| Line breaks | 8 | 6 |
| Offloads | 12 | 5 |
| Defenders beaten | 17 | 27 |
| Tackles made | 174 | 90 |
| Missed tackles | 27 | 18 |
| Turnovers won | 9 | 6 |
| Turnovers conceded | 8 | 13 |
| Penalties conceded | 16 | 16 |
| Scrum success | 100% | 100% |
| Lineout success | 70.59% | 94.74% |
| Yellow cards | 1 (Opoku-Gyamfi, 58) | 3 (Albornoz, 28; Sclavi, 62; Elías, 65) |
Italy made 3.3 metres a carry, against Argentina’s 2.1.
Standout numbers
| Category | Italy | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| Most tackles | Vintcent 22, Zuliani 19, L Cannone 17 | Matera 10, Rubiolo 8, Piccardo 6 |
| Most metres | Ioane 98, Allan 44, Marin 33 | Isgró 34, Piccardo 32, Carreras 30 |
| Most carries | Ioane 13, Allan 11, Marin 11 | Chocobares 12, Piccardo 11, Scelzo 11 |
| Defenders beaten (top five) | Lucchesi 6, Ioane 3, L Cannone 3, Zuliani 2, Mori 2 | Isgró 5, Carreras 4, Piccardo 4, Isa 3, Wenger 3 |
| Line breaks | Ioane 4, Allan 2, Varney 1, L Cannone 1 | Isgró 2, Chocobares 1, Carreras 1, Rubiolo 1, Moro 1 |
| Offloads | Ioane 3, Capuozzo 2, Marin 2, Allan 1, P Garbisi 1, Vintcent 1, Lucchesi 1, Mori 1 | Piccardo 2, Chocobares 1, Wenger 1, Bernasconi 1 |
| Turnovers won | Zuliani 5, Marin 2, L Cannone 2 | Piccardo 1, Chocobares 1, Carreras 1, Benítez Cruz 1, Wenger 1, Rubiolo 1 |
| Lineouts won | Ruzza 6, Vintcent 3, Marin 1, N Cannone 1, Zuliani 1 | Petti 4, Matera 4, Moro 4, Rubiolo 1, Elías 1, González 1, Isa 1 |
| Penalties conceded | Ioane 3, Vintcent 3, Capuozzo 2, Odogwu 1, Marin 1, P Garbisi 1, Fischetti 1, Ferrari 1, Zuliani 1, Lucchesi 1, Opoku-Gyamfi 1 | Moro 3, Isgró 2, Wenger 2, Rubiolo 2, Isa 2, Albornoz 1, Moreno 1, Sclavi 1, Elías 1 |
| Kicks from hand (top five) | Varney 10, Allan 4, P Garbisi 1, Marin 1, Capuozzo 1 | Albornoz 10, García 5, Benítez Cruz 1, Matera 1, Carreras 1 |
Italy player stats
| No | Player | Min | Pts | Carries | Metres | Passes | Offloads | Line breaks | Tackles | Turnovers won | Lineouts won | Pens conceded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Tommaso Allan | 80 | 2 | 11 | 44 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Ange Capuozzo | 80 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Paolo Odogwu | 69 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Leonardo Marin | 80 | 0 | 11 | 33 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Monty Ioane | 80 | 5 | 13 | 98 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Paolo Garbisi | 80 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Stephen Varney | 76 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Danilo Fischetti | 56 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | Giacomo Nicotera | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Simone Ferrari | 56 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Niccolò Cannone | 56 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | Federico Ruzza | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | Ross Vintcent | 80 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | Manuel Zuliani | 80 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | Lorenzo Cannone | 80 | 0 | 6 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Gianmarco Lucchesi | 24 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Muhamed Hasa | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Marco Riccioni | 24 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi | 14 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Alessandro Ortombina | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Samuele Locatelli | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Alessandro Garbisi | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Federico Mori | 11 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Argentina player stats
| No | Player | Min | Pts | Carries | Metres | Passes | Offloads | Line breaks | Tackles | Turnovers won | Lineouts won | Pens conceded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Bautista Delguy | 80 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Rodrigo Isgró | 80 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 13 | Justo Piccardo | 80 | 0 | 11 | 32 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Santiago Chocobares | 80 | 0 | 12 | 24 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Mateo Carreras | 80 | 5 | 9 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Tomás Albornoz | 69 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Simón Benítez Cruz | 51 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 75 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | Boris Wenger | 52 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Bautista Bernasconi | 54 | 5 | 8 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Francisco Moreno | 52 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Guido Petti | 56 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | Pedro Rubiolo | 80 | 0 | 6 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Pablo Matera | 80 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | Joaquín Moro | 45 | 0 | 10 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| 8 | Juan Martín Scelzo | 56 | 0 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Facundo Bosch | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Mayco Vivas | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Joel Sclavi | 17 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Efraín Elías | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | Juan Martín González | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Facundo Isa | 24 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 22 | Gonzalo García | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Gerónimo Prisciantelli | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The teams
Italy: Tommaso Allan; Ange Capuozzo, Paolo Odogwu, Leonardo Marin, Monty Ioane; Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera (captain), Simone Ferrari, Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Ross Vintcent, Manuel Zuliani, Lorenzo Cannone. Replacements: Gianmarco Lucchesi, Muhamed Hasa, Marco Riccioni, Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi, Alessandro Ortombina, Samuele Locatelli, Alessandro Garbisi, Federico Mori.
Argentina: Bautista Delguy; Rodrigo Isgró, Justo Piccardo, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras; Tomás Albornoz, Simón Benítez Cruz; Boris Wenger, Bautista Bernasconi, Francisco Moreno, Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera (captain), Joaquín Moro, Juan Martín Scelzo. Replacements: Facundo Bosch, Mayco Vivas, Joel Sclavi, Efraín Elías, Juan Martín González, Facundo Isa, Gonzalo García, Gerónimo Prisciantelli.
Sources: official Nations Championship post-match report (PDF); Italian Rugby Federation match report; SANZAAR match report; AP report and quotes; Reuters report (Cyprus Mail); LaPresse, Quesada and Nicotera press conference; OnRugby match report and Sky Sport Italia reaction; La Nación; Fuego 24; Stade de France. All 14–15 November 2026.
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