Italy 'A' opened its short tour of England with a narrow 24-22 loss to Loughborough. Paul Broadbent's large squad, which featured players based in England, France and Italy, twice came from behind to draw level before a ten-minute period in the second half, during which they conceded two soft tries, saw them drift away.

A late rally against the second best university side in the country saw them threaten Loughborough's lead, but time ran out. Assistant coach Kelly Rolleston, was fairly satisfied with the performance: "we made some errors with the ball that gave them too much possession but we used 26 players and came back well at the end."

France-based players Jean Christophe Borlin, a former Bleu, and Romain Pavoni stood out, but Italy's poor kicking game and profligate handling constantly saw the students begin in excellent field position.

Italy 'A' faces Coventry Bears today following a late fixture change with the RAF, who were unable to field a side due to operational responsibilities.