Put Italians out of their misery
tHis is an emergency. italy face arguably the most important match in their history on saturday, when they take on scotland at rome’s olympic stadium.
to say the Azzurri need a win is a colossal understatement. their status and the credibility of the six Nations is at stake.
in the Eternal City, the hosts must find a way out of what feels like an eternal slump.
Apologies for the broken-record lament, but the italians are not justifying their existence in Europe’s test showpiece and they must start to do so. Now.
the uncomfortable truth is that the championship’s weakest link could reach an unwelcome quarter- century in five days. they have lost their last 24 matches — and only the scots’ state of disarray provides any hope of avoiding a 25th successive loss.
since their admission in 2000, they have played 102 matches, won 12 of them, drawn one and lost the remaining 89. in 14 of their 20 campaigns they have ended bottom of the pile.
their losing streak eclipses the previous record: 17 defeats in a row by France between 1911 and 1920. And it isn’t as if italy have been unlucky, either. only two of those 24 results have been by single-figure margins.
For six Nations officials, the competitiveness of the event must be prioritised over the appeal of a nice weekend away in rome. this is not a tourism contest, otherwise the italians would be vying with France for the title every year.
their predicament comes at a time rugby is facing renewed upheaval, after Sportsmail’s exclusive story that south Africa are on course to join the six Nations after the next World Cup. the addition of the springboks would enhance the northern hemisphere’s annual tournament in terms of on-field pedigree.
the provisional plan is for the south Africans to take their place in an expanded seven Nations, but with player welfare in mind, they should replace the weakest link.
italy’s presence could galvanise the second- tier European Nations Championship, where Georgia have been imperious for years. For the greater good, italy’s demotion makes sense. it is up to them to prove otherwise.