ANOTHER WINTER OF DISCONTENT IS ON THE CARDS FOR THE AZZURRI
TWO years without a Championship win, the forecast for 2018 doesn’t offer too many rays of hope for Conor O’Shea and his Azzurri side. Mercurial skipper Sergio Parisse is not getting any younger and although the No.8 is still a major influence on the team, he is not the irrepressible force he once was.
There have been notable improvements from the two Italian clubs, Benetton and Zebre, in cross-border competition, which will encourage O’Shea, but the draw hasn’t been kind, with arguably the two strongest sides in the competition in England and Ireland the opponents for the opening two rounds.
With Georgia knocking hard on the door of Europe’s elite, there has been a growing clamour for a Six Nations play-off to be introduced. If Italy fail to show any improvements again this year, that bandwagon will undoubtedly gather pace. THERE were high hopes when the former Harlequins boss took over from Jacques Brunel in 2016, but the rebuilding process has taken time, with just four wins from 17 matches and only one of those against a tier-one nation. O’Shea could desperately do with a scalp during this Championship. ONLY six players have won more than Parisse’s 129 Test caps. Parisse is 34 now, but remains the heartbeat of the Azzurri side. WHO else? The talismanic No.8 hasn’t got long left in the international spotlight, but so much revolves around one of world rugby’s undoubted modern-day greats. THE 22-year-old flanker has caught the eye with a string of dynamic ball-carrying performances for Gloucester. Bristol-born, he qualifies for Italy through his grandmother. BENETTON’S marked improvement in the PRO14 and Champions Cup this season will encourage O’Shea, with the bulk of the squad coming from the Treviso-based club.
The pack will always hold its own and they do possess some dynamic forwards in the back five. There are also three decent playmakers to chose from in Carlo Canna, Tommy Allan and Ian McKinley. THE Italians are always vulnerable when the game opens up. Play a quick tempo against the Azzurri and they often struggle. EXETER’S Michele Campagnaro and powerful Treviso wing Angelo Esposito are currently sidelined. Campagnaro is hoping to overcome a knee ligament injury to play a part in the tournament. THE hopes for an O’Shea revolution were quickly crushed with an opening loss to Wales and a thumping defeat to Ireland in Rome. An innovative performance at Twickenham gave England a scare, but it was a rare highlight of another winless campaign. England (h), Ireland (a), France (a), Wales (a), Scotland (h) “I am aware that we will be judged on the results, but we all know the level of opponents we will face and the challenges that await us in every game, starting by tackling the second and third ranked teams in the world over six days in the first two rounds.” O’SHEA has been keen to ensure expectations are doused in reality. Even the most passionate of Azzurri supporters will be approaching the tournament with trepidation. Maybe a final-day encounter with Scotland in Rome will provide hope of a longawaited Championship win. THE veteran back-rower has been stranded on 99 international caps since the loss at the Millennium Stadium two years ago. Has been recalled for the 2018 championship and will be a deserving member of world rugby’s exclusive 100-club. FORMER Ireland Under-20s fly-half Ian McKinley was forced to retire from rugby in 2011 after losing the sight in his left eye. Three years later, with the help of speciallymodified goggles, he returned to the game, winning his first Italian cap against Fiji in the autumn. WOODEN spoon again. You can get as much as 1500-1 on the Azzurri lifting the title for the first time. As for the Grand Slam ... 3000-1. NOTHING suggests that Italy are going to tear up the form book in 2018. A fourth wooden spoon in five years awaits.