Rugby World Cup Pool D: Italy ensured a shoot-out with Wales on Saturday for a place in the quarter-finals but this scarcely deserved victory came at a cost with four players, including the captain, Alessandro Troncon, facing fitness tests in the next few days.
That Wales cannot assume second place to New Zealand in this weak group shows how far they have declined in the past 20 years.
Yesterday's encounter was brutal on the eye with Italy and Canada looking like two veteran sluggers whose legs had gone and minds were following.
Italy thought they had come for a cruise, opting to run two penalties in the opening minute, but were hanging on to the ropes long before the end.
Their crucial 10 points in the third quarter came when the Canada centre Marco di Girolamo had been sent to the sin-bin for slowing release of the ball at a ruck.
It was doubly fortunate for the Azzurri, who had conceded the previous four penalties for similar gamesmanship and the yellow card they deserved came in stoppage time when it was too late to make any difference.
Canada picked up their first point of the tournament but it was scant consolation for a side who fancied reaching the last eight.
Victory yesterday would have kept alive their hope of going through but they were nowhere near good enough for the next stage.
Italy will do well to recover physically by Saturday, never mind mentally.
They ended up wildly celebrating a victory over a side that had conceded 108 points in their previous two matches and they were fortunate that Quentin Fyffe, Canada's try-scorer, knocked on at the start of stoppage-time with the line beckoning.
Despite the low skill level, or perhaps because of it, yesterday provided the second most exciting finish of the tournament so far.
Canada looked out of it at 19-9 down with 13 minutes to go but Fyffe drummed a sense of resistance into them and the Italians were pleading for the final whistle.
"This victory was so important for us because our aim at the start of the World Cup was to go into the match against Wales with a chance of making the quarter-finals," said the second row Carlo Checchinato.
Meanwhile, coach John Kirwan was left to curse a schedule that means he does not have time to hold a training session before Saturday. On yesterday's evidence, that is a blessing.
Kirwan complained again about the unfair World Cup schedule that has left his players only four days to recover after their bruising win.
Italy and Tonga have the hardest draw in the tournament with their four pool matches spread over just 14 days, compared with leading sides like Australia and New Zealand, whose games are spread over more than three weeks.
"I think our draw has made this World Cup is unfair," said Kirwan, who described his side's win as ugly but courageous.
"We have no training runs left, we have recovery and then we have a game against Wales, so I don't really need to explain to all you here what that means.
"We should have seven days to get guys who get banged up back on the field," Kirwan said.
"It was a costly win," the New Zealander said. "Before we left the Pope gave us 500 litres of holy water, so we'll be doing our recovery on that."
ITALY: Canale; M Bergamasco, Stoica, M Dallan, D Dallan; Wakarua, Troncon (capt); Lo Cicero, Ongaro, Castrogiovanni, Dellape, Bortolami, De Rossi, Persico, Parisse. Replacements: Checchinato for Bortolami (29 mins); Palmer for Rossi (76 mins); Masi for M Bergamasco (half-time); Mazzantini for Troncon (half-time); Festuccia for Persico (80 mins); Mazzariol for Bergamasco (80 mins).
CANADA: Fyffe; Stanley, Cannon, Di Girolamo, Lougheed; Barker, Williams; Snow (Tkachuk, 53), Lawson, Thiel (Snow, 70), Yukes, Charron (capt), Cudmore, Douglas, Banks (Jackson, 31). Replacements: Jackson for Banks (31 mins); Tkachuk for Snow (53 mins); Snow for Thiel (70 mins).
Referee: P O'Brien (New Zealand).
