Italy must show steel to make RWC impact
IT’s difficult to think of any nation that has made less impact on the Rugby World Cup over the decades than Italy, but I wonder, despite the draw from hell, if that might not change in Japan. It’s high time they started punching above their weight.
Italy have been ever present at the RWC since 1987, not that you would really know. Once considered on a par with Argentina, the Italians can only look on with envy as the Pumas marched into two semifinals in 2007 and 2015 with another couple of quarterfinals to boot.
Samoa, meanwhile, have reached two quarter-finals in that time and a quarter-final play-off, Fiji have reached the knockout stages twice as well as a quarter-final play-off, while Canada famously made the last eight and gave the All Blacks a mighty run for their money in 1991.
Nor do Italy have any memorable one-off shock triumphs to glory in like Japan’s wonderful victory over South Africa four years ago or Tonga’s memorable win over France at RWC2011. Tonga also take much pleasure in the World Cup-winning performances of Willie Ofahengaue and Toutai Kefu for Australia, while they have always considered Jonah Lomu as one of theirs.
The closest Italy have come to World Cup ‘glory’ was a muddy decider for second place in their Pool with Scotland in rainy Saint Etienne in 2007, which they lost 18-16. Their World Cup highlights reel would basically consist of Ivan Francescato’s fine sidestepping try against USA at Otley in 1991, a half decent performance against New Zealand a few days later and a memorable individual display by flanker Simone Favaro against Ireland four years ago.
Italy habitually scrape past the minnows and then lose –
usually heavily – to any team ranked above them. They have been utterly predictable and uninspired. It seems that their pursuit of Six Nations status and then the annual battle to keep their heads above water in that tournament drains them, they have nothing left for World Cups.
So it’s been encouraging this week to hear Conor O’Shea upping the ante. Italy – drawn in Pool B with New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Namibia – are unapologetically gunning for South Africa and are happy to advertise the fact in advance.
The match falls very nicely in their schedule, coming after opening matches against the Canucks and Namibians and while acknowledging all the usual caveats, Italy really should win those two games.
Despite not progressing as they and we would want, Italy are still a cut above most Tier Two nations as they proved by putting away Georgia with some ease last November and demolishing Russia 85-15 last week. They are awkward ‘inbetweeners’ in terms of talent and ability.
The Italians beat the Boks in 2016 so there is no mental hangups and they will enjoy a decent eight-day preparation for the match at Shizuoka Stadium ECOPA in Fukuroi. They must bring all their passion to bear and play at a new level – as was the case with Japan four years ago. For the Italians, October 4 is their World Cup final.
O’Shea has also been pushing the emotional buttons. While announcing his 31-man squad this week, O’Shea confirmed, for the first time, that Sergio Parisse, Alessandro Zanni and Leonardo Ghiraldini will all be retiring from Test rugby after the tournament. That trio have sweated blood for Italy for 15 years now with precious little to show for it other than an accumulated total of caps well in excess of 350.
“Leo, together with Parisse and Zanni, are playing the last matches in the Italy shirt of their extraordinary careers,” explained O’Shea. “We want to make their dreams come true and we have the cards to be able to succeed.”
Emotionally it feels that Italy are in a good place but what gives you just a smidgen more hope than normal is that they have, by hook or by crook and in fairness a lot of hard work and planning, pulled together a stronger than normal looking squad, a group of players capable of rattling a few cages.
I can’t remember the last time they had two homegrown products with the potential to become genuinely world class players but in Matteo Minozzi, a Billy Whizz in the back three who is heading for Wasps, and athletic back five operator Federico Ruzza, that’s exactly what O’Shea now has on his hands. Italy need to showcase their talents.
Then there is the old Treviso firm of Michele Campagnaro and Luca Morisi reunited at centre five or six years after they first started to make a splash. Since then, they have endured three ACL operations between them and sundry other major surgeries but, touch wood, they return in full working order and that’s a decent start in midfield.
Tomasso Allen has come of age at fly-half, former England U20 captain Callum Braley – Italian grandfather – is a rock solid recruit to understudy the pugnacious Tito Tebaldi at nine. Check out the tapes of Gloucester early last season when Willi Heinz was injured, Braley blossomed considerably under the guidance of Danny Cipriani.
Jake Polledri and Seb Negri, the old Hartpury College combo, can hold their own and possibly more against most Test back rowers and Polledri, right, in particular has the X-factor and running power to shine on the very biggest stage.
Throw in the streetwise skills of Dean Budd and Braam Steyn and that pumped trio of legends, and Italy must believe they have an historic win somewhere in them. If not now, when? It’s a case of somehow lighting the fuse. To use the Italian chi non risica non rosica.
Nothing ventured nothing gained