Former centre partner sang Italy skipper’s praises ahead of Wasps move
IF DAI Young needed any convincing that Michele Campagnaro was a good fit for Wasps the director of rugby didn’t need to look far.
With the senior squad down to 42 players following Christian Wade’s retirement, the Italian captain was identified as a potential target and his release from Exeter Chiefs at the end of October paved the way for his move to Coventry.
Wasps Academy coach Andrea Masi made nine of his 95 international appearances alongside Campagnaro, including his final Test as a centre partner to Campagnaro in the 2015 World Cup Pool D defeat to France.
“We’d be stupid not to ask Andrea what he thought,” said Young, whose side are without a win in six games heading into Saturday’s trip to Northampton Saints. “It’s easy to see what players can do on the field but their attitude and temperament, it’s very difficult. “Andrea speaks very highly of him and that’s good enough for me. “If he gives us anything like Andrea did I will be over the moon.” Campagnaro joins up with his new team-mates upon the conclusion of Italy’s autumn internationals, with daunting challenges ahead against Australia and New Zealand. He will become the fourth Italian to play for Young at Wasps, following in the footsteps of Masi and the front-row pairing of Carlo Festuccia and Lorenzo Cittadini. “We’ve had some really good experiences with the Italians we’ve had,” said the Welshman. “Carlo was excellent for us, Cittadini was excellent for us as well, so we’ve had really good experience with the Italians who have come on board and giving everything to the club.” While conceding that Campagnaro is not a direct replacement for Wade, the Wasps boss did reveal it was the wages freed up by the winger’s retirement that gave the green light to recruit the Italian.
“He’s a player I’ve admired for a long time,” said Young. “He’s someone I feel will fit into the way we want to play the game. Definitely he’s somebody who I think will fit in.
“He’s got the ability to beat people one-onone which at the moment is something we’re not demonstrating.
“Players like that are few and far between.
“With Christian going, that has enabled us from a spend point of view to look at bringing extra players in.
“We need that with losing Jimmy [Gopperth] as well. It’s not a direct replacement, obviously, but it does give us the ability to move players around.
“There’s not one direct replacement out there on the market at this moment in time who can come in and do that role. “It’s a matter of getting the best player available at this moment in time and trying to utilise the squad as much as possible.” Wasps’ need for reinforcements in the backs is pressing. If injury news remains true to recent form they could be selecting from just ten senior players from outside the scrum to face Northampton Saints on Sunday. Campagnaro, like Elliot Daly and Willie le Roux, is unlikely to be available until Wasps travel to Premiership champions Saracens on December 1. “For us it is a matter of getting enough quality players so we can put an exciting back line together and a loaded bench as well and he is certainly going to add to that,” added Young “We have got a number of players who can play in different positions which you’re going to need, certainly with our luck when it comes to injuries at this moment of time.”
He’s got the ability to beat people oneon-one which at the moment is something we’re not demonstrating.