Italy set for ‘big English challenge’
FLY-HALF Tommaso Allan says Italy are bracing themselves for the “big challenge” of facing England at Twickenham in the Six Nations on Sunday (at 10pm Cambodian time) following consecutive defeats to Wales and Ireland.
Allan, who has come off the bench to replace Carlo Canna in one of four changes made by coach Conor O’Shea following a record 63-10 defeat to Ireland, is a former Scotland youth player whose Scottish father and Italian mother both played rugby in Italy.
The significance of playing a key role for the Azzurri at the home of English rugby is not lost on the 23-year-old Vicenza-born player.
But Italy have never beaten England in 22 previous encounters and Allan says there is only one team in the world better than Eddie Jones’s men.
“England are one of the best teams in the world, second only to the All Blacks,” said Allan. “They are a very clinical side that makes few mistakes. It’s a big challenge for us. We will have to avoid the mistakes we made against Ireland.
Italy began this year’s tournament with renewed hope and confidence following a historic 20-18 win over South Africa in the November test series. But despite glimpses of promise in their opening two games at the Stadio Olimpico, the Azzurri are staring at a likely 12th wooden spoon in 18 editions following defeats by Wales (33-7) and Ireland, who registered their highest ever Six Nations away win over Italy in a nine-try romp nearly a fortnight ago.
Against England, Italy are likely to be given little respite, but Allan is hoping the improvements brought to his game by former England flyhalf Mike Catt, an Italy assistant coach, come to the fore.
“It’s great working with him. He’s a great coach who works hard both on the skills of the team as with us on an individual level at the end of training, focusing on the small details that can make a difference.”
Sexton back for Irish
Standout fly-half Johnny Sexton will start his first match for Ireland since limping off against New Zealand last November in the Six Nations clash at home to France on Saturday (11:50pm).
The 31-year-old – whose last game was five weeks ago when he suffered a calf strain playing for Irish province Leinster against French club Castres – came in for Paddy Jackson in the team announced by Ireland coach Joe Schmidt at the squad’s training base yesterday.
Jackson, who because of Sexton’s unavailability has started five of Ireland’s last seven Tests, drops to the bench.
Ireland and France go into Saturday’s match at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road having both won one and lost one in their two matches so far, although the Irish are a point better off than the French thanks to accruing two bonus points to their opponents’ one.
Meanwhile, John Barclay will replace the injured Greig Laidlaw as Scotland captain for Saturday’s Six Nations match with Wales at Murrayfield (9:25pm), it was announced yesterday.
Laidlaw was ruled out of the rest of the tournament after suffering an ankle injury that saw the scrum-half go off during the first half of Scotland’s eventual 22-16 loss to France in Paris earlier this month.
Back-row forward Barclay took over the captaincy at the Stade de France and the flanker also had to leave the field, with a shoulder and head injury, although he has since been passed fit.
The 30-year-old Barclay, who plays his club rugby in Wales for the Llanelli-based Scarlets, has been the official Scotland captain once before when standing in for the injured Mike Blair against New Zealand in 2010.