Italy Beats Chile 34-19 in Rugby Test Debut

Italy defeated Chile 34-19 in a closely contested rugby test match on Saturday in Genoa, staving off a spirited second-half comeback from the South American side in the first-ever encounter between the two nations.

The Azzurri, playing their final fixture of the Autumn Nations Series, took control early but faced anxious moments after halftime as Chile narrowed the gap to a single point. Italy opened the scoring in the 12th minute when fullback Ange Capuozzo broke from deep to score under the posts, with flyhalf Giacomo Da Re adding the conversion for a 7-0 lead. Da Re extended the advantage with a penalty in the 24th minute, making it 10-0.

A powerful Italian maul set up the second try six minutes before the break, as hooker Tommaso Di Bartolomeo touched down in the corner, though Da Re missed the wide conversion. Chile responded just before halftime, with replacement prop Salvador Lues powering over from a pick-and-go to leave the score at 15-7. Flyhalf Tomas Salas converted the try.

The second half began with Chile injecting energy from the bench. Salas missed an early penalty attempt, but soon after, fullback Matias Garafulic's clever kick allowed winger Nicolas Saab to chase...