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turday in Padua, the Azzurri will not win with the same recipe the they used to beat the Springboks, though. Patience and composure will be
Want to know Katie Ledeckys secret prerace ritual? So do I, but would you believe me if I said that part of said ritual was the whip?On Tuesday, Simone Manuel, who made history last night in the 100-meter freestyle as the first African-American woman to win gold in an individual swimming event, tweeted a video of Ledecky, likely before the 19-year-old took to the pool for the 200-meter freestyle final.Ledecky, who is Manuels roommate, can be seen doing a small shimmy before attempting to hit the whip in the seven-second video (unconfirmed if a nae-nae is also included).Manuel tweeted the video with the caption How @katieledecky gets ready to win Gold! #ItaughtyouwellCheck out the tweet?here.ICYMI, last night Ledecky congratulated her roomie on her gold-medal victory, so #roommategoalsSean Hurd is a Digital Media Associate for ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @seanahurd Wholesale Custom Diamondbacks Shirts . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Luis Gonzalez Jersey Large . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. http://www.customdiamondbacksjersey.com/ . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Randy Johnson Jersey Large . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Custom Randy Johnson Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Italys success against South Africa was, of course, one of the most important wins in its rugby history. The Springboks are ranked fourth in the world and had never been beaten by their hosts before.But victory in Florence was also a triumph for all Italians, during a difficult time for the country.Lets start with the first, essential, news -- the team won the rugby game. It may sound na?ve but it is key. In the recent past, Italy have beaten both France and Ireland for the first time, and went close in other big games too.They almost beat Australia in Florence in 2012, losing by just three points. Italy have twice finished within a converted try of England -- in a freezing Rome in 2010 and then at Twickenham three years later -- and lost 20-6 to New Zealand in front of a record crowd at San Siro.So, they got close. They almost did it, yet they were beaten. Close, but no cigar.On Saturday in Florence they got a huge win and that will make a heck of a difference. A terrific performance was built on their play at the breakdown -- Italy were close to perfect at rucks -- on a top-class defence and on their ability to keep the scoreboard moving when they had the chance.They won the game by dominating the fundamentals of the game. How many times could you say that? Never. Even during those celebrated wins against France and Ireland they were not as competent in the basics.Defensive consultant Brendan Venters influence has been displayed in the blitz-oriented defensive approach adopted on Saturday. It was that system that exposed the essence of Simone Favaro in his entire beauty, and made the difference. But mainly Italy won on aggression and intensity.I have never seen an Italian rugby side playing with such a hunger. I have watched the game again and again and it is impossible to ignore the way that every single aspect of the game, from personal battles to more broader line movements, has been turned into a physical battle by Conor OShea and his staff.Against a Springboks side that in their previous outings showed a total lack of its once devastating tactical kicking game, winning every clash was crucial. And thats where Italy won the game.To ensure possession -- not always necessarily of a high quality -- OShea gave solutions to Italys recent lineout problems with variations. And those variations in jump, throw and time did the job.Then there was the coldness of the Italian kickers. Carlo Canna with those huge try conversions and Edoardo Padovani with that halfway-line penalty that kept the Springboks in reach. Again, Italy got the fundamentals absolutely right.A few words should also be said on Sergio Parisses new role.dddddddddddd. Every media outlet highlighted the huge performance by the Italy captain but he was not centerstage as he used to be. And that was another key factor in the overall production of his teammates. He played a solid game, he was inspirational as he always is for the team, yet he played like an international No. 8.Parisse did not overcook plays, he wasnt asked to do extra work as he was made to in the past and from the stands the feeling was that he didnt feel obliged to take responsibility in every aspect of the game. OShea made his contribution a crucial part of a team performance. It happened, with less evidence, in that second win over France but for the first time Italy fans saw a sort of Stade Francais-version of Sergio Parisse.And is not a coincidence that we could admire the rise of Padovani, Canna and Giorgio Bronzini, just to name a few, and the return of Tommaso Benvenuti to his highest standards. That is another interesting aspect of the OShea era -- selection policy was finally at its best.We all know that it wasnt by far the best South Africa side ever to run onto a rugby pitch but that was the best XV Coetzee could pick from his tour squad. Italy were given a chance to make history and they took it, capitalising on that one and only opportunity.Details? Not at all. It was the sign of a different mentality. A huge rise in confidence that OSheas system has brought into a revitalised squad.The historic victory put rugby back on the mainstream media radar, reigniting a flame across the country that seemed to be slowly dying. The Azzurri were back on the national newspapers front page and got a lot of attention from national TV. The entire country celebrated this victory.Now Italy have an immediate maturity test. They must perform against Tonga and record a comfortable win.On Saturday in Padua, the Azzurri will not win with the same recipe the they used to beat the Springboks, though. Patience and composure will be vital. Only methodically absorbing the Islanders aggression at the breakdown and winning from that a probable high number of penalties will guarantee the win. They may well end up doing what top tier rugby nations usually do against Italy: stretch the score in the final quarter of the game.It wont be easy for a team that in the past has never shown the ability to control a rugby match. But after that historical result in Florence there is a chance for Italian fans to celebrate their best ever autumn international campaign. ' ' '