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Before kick-off there was one fear: if the Zebre scrum had been blown away at the first engagement, there would have been no game against the Bulls. At the Lanfranchi it went the other way. The scrum held, and Zebre lost 13-47 because of everything else. Different factors, same result.
Brunello’s front-row cards
For Cristian Lovisetto, Massimo Brunello played the few cards he had well. He started the two props who offered fewer guarantees, Pisani and Castellano, and from the half-hour brought on his more solid front row for the final hour. The Bulls did the opposite: their strongest first, then the rest, who are still strong.
The standout was Filippo Alongi, back from Valorugby Emilia and able to stand up to the Bulls. We didn’t expect it. It’s an important sign for a front row that has lost Matteo Nocera, gone to Lyon as a medical joker, and Neculai, and has had to dip into Serie A Elite.
Why did the Zebre lineout collapse?
Four lineouts not just contested but caught outright by the Bulls. Beyond inaccurate throws, Cristian believes the reading was missing: on his 150th appearance for Zebre, Leonard Krumov gave everything, but had too many calls read. Either the South Africans had the call sheet in their hands, or that phase wasn’t prepared well enough. More likely, the calls weren’t executed properly on the pitch.
A first half of missed chances
The game was decided before the break. After Tommaso Allan’s two penalties, Zebre twice lost possession in their own 22 from the restart: the first time they got away with it, the second cost a try. Then a five-metre lineout after a penalty kicked to touch, lost; a minute later, De Wet’s intercept of Fusco and a Bulls try.
They could have gone in within a score; instead it was 6-21. Suffering while knowing you’re still in it is one thing, chasing fifteen points against last season’s runners-up is another. In the second half the oxygen ran out, and for us the final 47-13 flatters the Bulls a little.
Where is Zebre’s identity?
What we missed most was identity: the Zebre of Brunello’s early years, who looked for the extra play and punished teams in transition. The Bulls did make mistakes, starting with an unrecognisable Willie le Roux in the opening minutes, but no one took advantage. Fusco and Allan had average games; among the individuals we liked Belloni.
Next up is Friday 2 October at 20:45 in Cardiff. They’re not the Bulls, but they are an awkward side that makes few mistakes and punishes a lot, and they won the Welsh derby against the Scarlets in round one.
A side that makes few mistakes and punishes a lot.
Read also
- Zebre 13-47 Bulls: lineout in crisis, but the scrum holds
- Benetton’s draw revisited: tackling, fitness and leadership to rebuild
- Italy v South Africa revisited: a 10-minute blackout and an Erasmus-style maul
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