Parisse hands over to Italy’s young brigade
WHEN Italy kick off their Six Nations campaign against Wales tomorrow, Sergio Parisse will be miles from Cardiff in the Maldives enjoying a hard-earned holiday with his young family. After 142 Tests in the blue jersey — and 106 defeats —the iconic No 8 is retiring to leave the Six Nations without one of its most recognisable faces. There will be one final farewell when he makes an encore appearance against England in the closing round, but the stage is now set for Italy’s next generation. ‘It will be strange watching the games, for sure, but it’s time for the boys to take the team into their own hands,’ Parisse told Sportsmail. ‘I’m 36 and I’ve been living Italian rugby since I was 18. I knew this time was going to arrive and I was honest with myself. I will watch the games then pull on the Italian jersey one last time against England in Rome. It will be emotional but now is the time for the young guys to take leadership of this team. There are guys with a lot of character and now there will be more space for them to grow.’ How Italy replace a man like Parisse is the big question. When asked at the Six Nations launch, the answer from incoming coach Franco Smith was simple: ‘You don’t’. He continued: ‘The more you want to replace him, the more difficult it is going to be. He’s one of a kind. There are a lot of rugby personalities around the world that have never been replaced. You lose them forever, but there are new personalities that can develop. He’s overshadowed Italian rugby, for the right reasons, for a very long time. ‘Now it’s time to shine a light on others who can develop with Sergio as their example.’ Parisse’s mental resilience is one trait that the youngsters must strive to continue. Results have been miserable. Italy have not won a Six Nations game since 2015. A lesser player would have taken up a lucrative contract in Japan. but Parisse has always come through with his chest pumped. ‘Obviously I did not achieve a lot of wins in the Italian jersey but that doesn’t make me feel any less proud,’ he said. ‘I have always hated defeat but that does not make me feel like a failure. I was not playing for New Zealand so I knew there would be more defeats than victories but as captain you have to set an example. ‘My job as captain was not just to make speeches. The day after a game you might wake up and feel dead because you’ve given a lot of emotion but you’ve failed to win. You lose by three points and you’re overthinking. “Why did we lose? How do we get better? Why didn’t our plan work?” ‘But you have to keep going. Again. Again. Again. It is easier to captain a team when you are winning 80 per cent of the time, sure, but you stay positive. You can’t go to Twickenham to play England and say, “Well boys, we are probably going to lose but…” ‘F*** that.. Sometimes games are strange. When you see how Japan did at the last World Cup, that is the beauty of sport… the underdogs. Italy will never be the favourites, especially in the Six Nations, but never give up. That’s what I want these young guys to carry on.’ Japan have given Italy hope, but could become a rival. They too are being discussed as a Six Nations team, which could put Italy in strife if their losing streak continues. But Parisse believes Italian fortunes will turn. ‘We haven’t always had a system that works well behind the scenes,’ he conceded. ‘If you go to the south of Italy, it’s really poor in terms of numbers, but you see the work that Zebre and Treviso are doing. How many No 10s have Italy had in the last 18 years since Diego Dominguez? A massive number. Now I am hopeful because we have had Tommy Allen and Carlo Canna (above) for a few years and that gives us some continuity. In the last years, me and other guys have taken a lot of the responsibility. Now it’s about guys like Tommy, Carlo, Federico Ruzza, Jake Polledri and Marcello Violi. Now it is their time.’