Played in oppressive heat and in front of a buoyant crowd, New Zealand was held scoreless in the second half of a turgid spectacle.
The first half took more than an hour to complete. In the third minute, Italian tighthead prop Bruno Vallesi injured in a big collision. The injury break stretched 15 minutes but didn’t hamper the Italian scrum. New Zealand was penalised frequently in that department as it struggled to contain the Azzurri beef. Monster loosehead prop Sergio Pellicioli packs in at 142kg.
Italy threw ample numbers at the breakdown and unsettled a New Zealand team that lacked cohesion and discipline. Winger Stanley Solomon was yellow-carded for an illegal cleanout in the first half. Replacement forward Randall Baker followed in the second as New Zealand conceded a dozen penalties to Italy’s four.
Italy was responsible for 20 of the 37 turnovers in the match. New Zealand can take heart from a determined defensive display, kicking sensibly and often down the middle of the park, baiting the inaccurate Italians to run it back before they invariably fumbled.
Crusaders hooker Manumaua Letiu scored New Zealand's first try from a lineout drive that could have finished in Rome. Influential halfback Dylan Pledger vitally scored just before halftime with a dummy and dash over 30 metres.
Second-five Copper Roberts and lock Xavier Treacy topped the New Zealand tackle count with 13 each, followed by openside flanker Caleb Woodley with nine. Second-five Riccardo Casarin proved a menace over the ball, snaffling three turnovers for Italy.
Winger Frank Vaenuku was easily New Zealand’s most lively back. The All Blacks Sevens flyer made three linebreaks and charged for a game-high 97 metres.
Halfback Niccolo Beni scored Italy’s only try, a second-half cracker following a sweeping move down the left wing side that started at halfway. Italy missed a penalty shot at the end, which would have given them a deserved bonus point for losing by less than seven points.
Italy finished fourth in the U20 Men’s Six Nations earlier this year, picking up an away win against France (23-20) and at home to Scotland (47-14). Their campaign began with a 36-11 home defeat to England, with further losses in round two away to Ireland (23-22) and Wales in round five (27-15). They have an 18-41 in the Under 20 World Championship with a best finish of eighth in 2017 and 2018
New Zealand has a 56-14 record in the tournament, with their last tournament win coming in 2017.
New Zealand Under 20: 14 (Manumaua Letiu, Dylan Pledger tries; Will Cole 2 cons) Italy Under 20: 5 (Niccolo Beni try) HT: 14-0