Lions maul Italians for Classic win

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9: The Classic Lions were rarely troubled during an emphatic drubbing of the Italians at the Rugby Classic last night.

The men in pink notched up 83 points against their weaker rivals in a one-sided affair.

By the end of the game the Lions were running in tries from their own 22 as the Italians began to tire and fall off tackles.

Hal Luscombe and Ben Breeze picked up three tries a piece during the 13 try-rout.

And World Cup winner Josh Lewsey looked in great form before he suffered a nasty rib injury in the dying minutes, which could rule him out for the rest of the tournament.

The Italians did get a consolation try in the closing moments but this was a comfortable, confidence-building run out for the Classic Lions.

They will now face a very different challenge in the shape of the All Blacks in the semi-finals on Friday after the Kiwis cruised past the U.S. Eagles.

The Classic All Blacks may have lost a few players in the run in to the tournament but they still look an ominous outfit.

They put 39 points on their opponents without reply and looked dangerous every time their backline was running with ball in hand.

The Americans are bound to be disappointed with their performance but they never saw enough ball to worry the All Blacks.

Tonight the Springboks kick off their campaign against the physical Argentinean side.

While at 8:30pm the Australians take on the Canadians.

Let's hope the rain stays at bay.