My Azzurri still have a few tricks warns Mac
LUKE McLEAN looks back at the way Italy bamboozled England last season with a wry smile.
The Azzurri’s no-ruck approach won them very few friends at Twickenham but, for 68 minutes, it looked like the tactic, now outlawed by World Rugby, could possibly win them the game and pull off the biggest shock in the Six Nations history.
“I was convinced that they’d figure it out a lot earlier than they did,” said inside centre McLean, a mainstay of the Italian team for the best part of a decade.
“We put so much work into making that work on the day. It was quite difficult to do. We all had to be on exactly the same page because, if one person made a mistake and stayed in and turned it into a ruck, we’d get penalised and be 40-50 metres back.
“We were only a few points behind well into the final quarter and then ran out of steam.”
Mclean, who is now with London Irish, believes the Azzurri may have fresh tricks up their sleeve for this year’s Six Nations, starting against England in Rome today.
But he also knows they will need some lucky bounces to avoid matching the longest winless run in Five/Six Nations history.
Italy have drawn a blank in their last two Championships and have not registered a win in their last 12 matches in the competition, dating back to February 2015. Another whitewash this year and they will equal France’s unwanted record of 17, set from 1911 to 1920.
“You wouldn’t call Italy favourites in any of their matches and the draw has been brutal, with three away games and England and Ireland – by far the two leading sides in the northern hemisphere – first up,” McLean said.
“But we’ve beaten France twice in the Six Nations before and no-one gave us a fighting chance then, and it was the same when we beat South Africa.
“In 80 minutes, you never know what is going to happen; an intercept here or a yellow or red card there, could make all the difference. Or it could be something simple like you get the luck of the bounce or everything just kind of works for you on the day.
“You never go into a game thinking you are going to lose, you go out there thinking we’re going to give this a shot, no matter who you’re up against. Hopefully the boys can not only put in some good performances but get a result.”
The native Australian, who has an Italian grandparent, believes that in Zebre half-back pairing, Marcello Violi and Carlo Canna, Italy have the ability to become a more potent attacking force.
“Carlo is not like your typical Italian player, he is very loose and plays what is in front of him. Marcelo is a controlled player who knows when to slow play down and when to quicken it up. They work well together, and I am looking forward to seeing what they can do.”
The 30-year-old McLean has not featured for Italy since the end of last season’s Championship but still hopes to add to his 89-cap tally.
Explaining his absence from the current setup, he said: “I’d come off an injury and wasn’t playing very well in November and it was a fair call from Conor (O’Shea) to leave me out.
“For the Six Nations, he was happy with the squad. He didn’t shut the door on me though. If I’m needed I am happy to get out there.
“But I am more concerned about trying to lock down a position at London Irish at the moment and work into some form.”