Preview - Italy v Tonga

European flair against Pacific power

European flair and unpredictability against the unrefined power of the Pacific Islands. That, in a nutshell, is how you could define the Rugby World Cup 2003 Pool D match between Italy and Tonga in Canberra on Wednesday.

It is also a match on which a lot is riding, for both teams, in terms of where they will finish at the end of this global showpiece.

It may be Tonga's first match Down Under, but this encounter is the one they have targeted as a "must-win" game - with their remaining pool matches against Wales, New Zealand and Canada likely to be far more problematic.

And Tongan captain Inoke Afeaki could not stress enough the importance of the match. "It will be so much tougher for us to achieve any level of success [at RWC 2003] if we don't win this game," he said. "We will have to put all our eggs in one basket and focus on winning.

"If we don't [win], our dream of making the quarter-finals goes out the window."

Italian coach John Kirwan has also made no secret of the fact he is targeting the Tongan match as a "must-win" fixture.

"We definitely need to have our biggest game," said the former All Black winger. "This is our focus point. If we can get up [win] on Wednesday, then we'll approach Canada and it's our goal to get to Wales with two wins. It is the most important game in the World Cup for both sides."

Kirwan's remarks show just how desperate the Azzurri are for a victory, following their 70-7 defeat at the hands of the All Blacks in their opening match last Saturday.

The Tongans, apart from the need to get their campaign off to a winning start, are eager to get onto the park, after watching from the sidelines as the first nine matches of the tournament went by. "The boys are getting a little bit touchy, like most teams that are waiting around to play," said their coach Jim Love.

Love described the Italians as a "typical European side, with a lot of flair and unpredictability".
Kirwan, a try-scorer for the All Blacks in the inaugural RWC Final in 1987, expects a typical Tongan approach - tough and physical.

"They've also got the flair of a lot of the island nations," he said, "so I think they'll be looking to physically dominate us up front and then use a bit of flair out wide to finish us off."

Players to watch:
For Italy: Since taking over the captaincy, Alessandro Troncon has obviously played an even more prominent role in the Azzurri's gameplan, but this has not taken the edge off the 80-Test veteran scrum-half. Not just is he one of Italy's most capped players of all time, but the nippy scrum-half knows his way to the tryline - as his 15 Test tries can attest. On top of that he is a reliable defender and his service from the base of the scrum is one of the best in the game.

For Tonga: Viliami Vaki is important to the Tongan cause for more than just his ability as a lock forward. He plays his club rugby for Parma, in Italy, and will no doubt have a lot of first-hand knowledge of the opposition on Wednesday. Although he will be wearing the No.4 jersey on Wednesday, the 27-year-old can also play anywhere among the loose forwards. At 1.98 metres tall he will be a valuable source of possession for the Tongans in the set-pieces.

Head to head: Alessandro Troncon (Italy) v Sililo Martens (Tonga): By the nature of their positions these two players literally hold the key to the success (or failure) of their respective backlines. Troncon, the veteran, comes up against a relative newcomer in Martens. We can wax lyrical about the abilities of Troncon, who is a key player in every sense of the word, but the most fitting comparison here is that Troncon will be playing in his third consecutive RWC and Martens will be making his first appearance at this global showpiece. The 26-year-old Tongan scrum-half is rated by coach Jim Love "as good as any scrum-half in New Zealand". High praise indeed.

Recent Results:
In 1999: Tonga won 28-25, Leicester (RWC)
Prediction: This is a close call and it is likely to be an exciting, as well as a high scoring, encounter. Somehow the shear brute strength of the Tongan backs should give them the edge.
Zurich Computer Prediction: Italy by two points
Planet Rugby Prediction: Tonga by 10 points.

The teams:
Italy: 15 Gonzalo Canale, 14 Nicola Mazzucato, 13 Christian Stoica, 12 Manuel Dallan, 11 Denis Dallan, 10 Rima Wakarua, 9 Alessandro Troncon (captain), 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Aaron Persico, 6 Andrea De Rossi, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Santiago Dellape, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.

Replacements: 16 Carlos Festuccia, 17 Salvatore Perugini, 18 Carlo Checchinato, 19 Mauro Bergamasco, 20 Matteo Mazzantini, 21 Francesco Mazzariol, 22 Andrea Masi.
Tonga: 15 Pierre Hola, 14 Sione Fonua, 13 Gus Leger, 12 John Payne, 11 Tevita Tu'ifua, 10 Sateki Tu'ipulotu, 9 Sililo Martens, 8 Benhur Kivalu, 7 Ipolito Fenukitau, 6 Inoke Afeaki, 5 Milton Ngauamo, 4 Viliami Vaki, 3 Heamani Lavaka, 2 Ephram Taukafa, 1 Tonga Lea'aetoa.
Replacements: 16 Viliami Ma'asi, 17 Kisi Pulu, 18 Usaia Latu, 19 Stanley Afeaki, 20 Tony Alatini, 21 Johnny Ngauamo, 22 Sila Va'enuku.

Kick-off: 19.30 local (09.30 GMT, 10.30 BST), Live in the UK on ITV2
Venue: Canberra Stadium, Canberra
Conditions: Afternoon/evening showers/storms, Maximum 21C, Minimum 6C
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Iain Ramage (Scotland)
TMO: Donal Courtney (Ireland)