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Ruthless Italy crush Russia 85-15 in World Cup warm-up

Ruthless Italy crush Russia 85-15 in World Cup warm-up
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Italy Captain's Run - Orange Velodrome, Marseille, France - February 22, 2018 Italy's Matteo Minozzi during the captain's run REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier/File Photo Copyright  JEAN-PAUL PELISSIER(Reuters)
Copyright JEAN-PAUL PELISSIER(Reuters)
By Reuters
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(Reuters) - Italy submitted Russia to a humbling 85-15 defeat on Saturday, running in 13 tries in their final home appearance before the Rugby World Cup.

Matteo Minozzi led the scoring with three tries at the Stadio Riviera delle Palme in San Benedetto del Tronto as Italy's back division ran riot. Captain Sergio Parisse was also among the try-scorers as Italy reached halftime 38-8 ahead.

The pace did not drop as Tommaso Allan, who kicked six conversions, went over within a minute of the restart. Other notable performances came from Mattia Bellini and Edoardo Padovani, who both claimed a couple of tries.

Italy travel to France and England for further warm-ups before heading for the World Cup. They face Namibia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand in Pool B.

Russia, ranked 20th in the world, face Japan, Samoa, Scotland and Ireland in Pool A. Their opening game against hosts Japan launches the tournament in Tokyo on 20 Sept.

(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie, editing by Tony Lawrence)

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