Travelled Italian lock enjoying time with Otago
JOSH Furno has boots and he will travel.
An Italian, born in Australia to a German mother and Italian-Australian father, Furno has played in Italy, France and England, and has now washed up in Dunedin.
The 1.99m tall Furno, who has racked up 37 caps for Italy, is locking the scrum for the Otago team this season, adding some tall timber to the side which takes on Tasman this afternoon.
Furno (27) said he is enjoying his time in the south although it is a tad on the chilly side.
‘‘It was a bit cold when I first got here. But it is a good environment to be in. They’re a good bunch of lads and the team is playing a good quality of rugby,’’ he said.
‘‘I think we were a bit undercooked early on. We probably did not have enough time together to get into our systems. But we went really close in that shield game and we have moved on from there.’’
Furno was born in Melbourne but moved to Italy when he was 7. He started playing rugby in Italy when young and continued playing it right through his teens, ignoring football.
‘‘Then when I was about 16, I grew really quickly. So I was moved into lock. I signed a contract when I was pretty young. I made Italy under20s and had a contract by then.’’
He made his debut for the Italian senior side in a warmup game before the 2011 World Cup but did not make the final squad for the tournament.
He was in the full Italian squad the following year and played in the Six Nations tournament.
He played two seasons for the French club Biarritz. The side performed well in his first year before being relegated the next year.
He then moved to Newcastle to play for the Falcons in England for two years and played in the 2015 World Cup for Italy.
Off contract at the end of the northern season and not picked for Italy’s tour of Australia and Pacific Islands earlier this year, Furno was at a loose end.
But Otago was on the hunt for a lock and Furno said the opportunity just sort of popped up.
‘‘I wasn’t doing anything and I had always wanted to come to New Zealand and play. The rugby is good. It’s quick and the ball gets thrown around a bit.’’
Otago will be tested this afternoon by a Tasman side which is running into some good form. The Makos started the season with two disappointing losses but have beaten Waikato and Wellington in its last two games.
The side is missing players through injuries and All Black commitments but every side has holes at this time of year.
Whether Tasman prop Tim Perry fronts is uncertain. He is listed to play but was believed to be still in the All Black camp yesterday in Auckland.
Otago will want to continue the momentum from its last match, a recordbreaking win over Hawke’s Bay.
It will not be as easy as last week and Otago will have to be physical against Tasman, especially around the ruck.
A decision on whether Otago skipper Sam Anderson-Heather will play — he has a neck injury — will be made early today.