Meet Italy’s new GLADIATOR
Tommaso Menoncello was player of the Six Nations at just 21. Now he is ready to fire the Azzurri to new heights
THE tattoos and nasty scar on Tommaso Menoncello’s body help tell the story of an explosive journey to rugby’s highest level for the new superstar of the Italian game.
At just 21, Menoncello was yesterday named the Six Nations player of the Championship for 2024, the award capping a remarkable comeback from injury.
Already a shining light in an Azzurri side looking towards a bright future after years of misery, the centre is also a potential future great in his own right.
‘I was the 717th player to play for Italy,’ Menoncello tells Mail Sport, pointing at the number inked on the back of his forearm.
Speaking at the training ground of his club Benetton and clutching the award which reflects his electrifying talent, Menoncello then shows off the marked skin by his left shoulder from the operation he had last summer on a biceps problem, which forced him to miss the 2023 World Cup.
‘They went in here and here,’ he says, showing off the surgeon’s work. ‘I also have the date from my first Test try for Italy tattooed on my chest — February 6, 2022, against France.
‘This award is a huge thing for me after the injury I had because that was a really difficult period. Everybody thought it would be very hard for me to come back as before but the only thing in my mind was that I had to come back better. I showed in this Six Nations what I can do.
‘I’m very proud and happy to be the man of the Six Nations. It was a really big shock.’
Not much was known of Menoncello outside of Italy before the start of the year, but his performances in his country’s best ever Six Nations introduced him to a far wider audience.
He is only the second Azzurri player to win the Championship’s individual award — after Andrea Masi in 2011 — and the youngest winner from any country.
‘Sonny Bill Williams is my idol. He’s the player I take a lot of inspiration from. I want to be like him with the offloading game,’ Menoncello adds, switching impressively between his native Italian and English. ‘I used to play prop. It was a long time ago, when I started rugby in the Under 12s. They put me there for one season but I didn’t like it!’
Six Nations wins over Scotland and Wales and a draw with France showed real Azzurri progress.
New head coach Gonzalo Quesada has made a big impact. The 49-year- old has a talented group of young players at his disposal after the Italian Rugby Federation undertook a revamp of their academy system. The move has more than paid off.
‘It was our best Six Nations and the best period for Italian rugby for a long time,’ says Menoncello. Born and raised in Treviso, 15 miles north of Venice, he lives at home with his parents and plays for local club Benetton.
‘We didn’t like the comments we saw in the newspapers and on social media saying Italy shouldn’t be in the Six Nations. One of our goals this year was to show what we can do, especially after the World Cup which ended in not the best way. For us, this is a start.
‘It was one of our goals for the Six Nations to inspire the Italian people and sell out the Stadio Olimpico. We did it. Now we want to inspire more people and grow rugby in Italy.’
In this year’s Six Nations, Menoncello averaged five metres gained per forward carry. In the brutally physical world of modern- day Test rugby where forward momentum is a priceless commodity, such a statistic is very impressive.
The swiftness of Menoncello’s rise means he is yet to be offered a boot deal. He made his club debut at 18 and scored within five minutes. His international bow against France in 2022 saw him become Italy’s, and the Six Nations’, youngest ever try scorer. He was just 19.
His dream is to move to a club in France’s Top14 when his Benetton contract expires. Menoncello likes to watch MotoGP and tennis and keeps an eye on Juventus’ results, but unlike the majority of teenage Italians, he grew up preferring rugby to football.
Now he is one of his country’s sporting stars just seven years after he first started going to watch Benetton matches with his father Michele. ‘I’m only 21 so I know I can still grow more,’ he says. ‘Treviso is one of the cities in Italy with the most interest in rugby. The people here stop me in the street and ask for a photo or a chat. It’s still a bit unusual for me but it makes me very happy and so proud. It means a lot to me to play for Treviso.
‘I’m very proud to be where I am now. It is amazing to be a part of this Italian team and play in the Six Nations at such a young age.
‘I have a lot of goals to reach and, step by step, I think I can reach them. I never stop thinking about rugby. I love it. My mum has to work hard to feed me!’