Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Rugby-McKinley makes history as Italy stop rot against Fiji

The 27-year-old lost the sight in his left eye in an on-pitch incident seven years ago but recovered to return to the game and qualify for Italy through residency after joining Italian side Benetton.

McKinley came off the bench as a 61st-minute replacement for Carlo Canna and kicked a penalty to help edge Italy to victory. Canna had earlier struck three penalties and converted Simone Ferrari's early try.

The visitors, for whom Ben Volavola kicked a penalty, went in level at 10-10 at halftime through Leone Nakarawa's converted try, but Conor O'Shea's side edged ahead after the interval to avenge their summer defeat by the Fijians.

(This version of the story refiles to fix lit in the first paragraph.)

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

(Reporting by Neil Robinson,; Editing by Neville Dalton)


1 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world