Kings to face a confident Zebre side
A hot reception awaits the Isuzu Southern Kings when they visit Italy for their opening PRO14 match against Zebre on Saturday next week.
That was the warning from Zebre coach Michael Bradley as the Kings prepare for their first visit to the 5,000-seater Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma.
Zebre’s Irish coach says his team will continue with the style of play that saw them win seven matches last season.
Bradley played 40 Tests for Ireland and captained the team on 15 occasions.
“The philosophy of the Zebras will be to continue to develop our style of play from last season. In attack, we will try to keep possession as much as possible and look for constant recycles to keep the action alive,” Bradley said.
“When our opponents put a lot of pressure on with their defence, we will look for the spaces behind the line.
“In defence, we want to be aggressive and continue with the search for turnover ball.
“This is a fundamental that allowed us to perform well last season.
“Our team is made up of many nationalities and the young players who have arrived at Parma played internationally at youth level.
“If we play well, as we know we can, there is no reason that we cannot compete for the PRO14 playoffs.”
Zebre captain Tommaso Castello shares his enthusiasm.
“Our goal is to become an increasingly competitive team, improving what has been done during the previous season,” Castello said.
“But we know it will be even harder now that we have achieved respect from opponents thanks to our performances last season.
“We have a very young and talented team with 11 new signings who will need time to consolidate their places.
“The potential for growth for the future is certainly on our side.”
The Kings fly to Italy on Monday and have yet to name their tour party for matches against Parma and the Dragons in Wales.
It is expected that the Kings will include new signings Bjorn Basson and Ulrich Beyers in their squad to travel overseas.
Fears of injuries to their depleted squad forced the Kings to cancel a proposed contact session against the Border Bulldogs last Saturday.
The signing of former Bok Basson, 31, from French team Oyonnax, will give options at fullback and wing.
Beyers, a bustling centre, was signed from the Bulls and will give the Kings’ backline extra punch.