We can’t go another 7 years with 0 wins
...but Italy’s Garbisi hopes talk of relegation is over
THERE is a new face on the billboards around Montpellier this week. It is not the club’s World Cupwinning fly-half, nor one of France’s Grand Slam heroes. Instead, Italy’s Paolo Garbisi is the new attraction.
‘People are probably asking, “Who the hell is that guy on the poster?”’ says Garbisi, whose profile has soared since he kicked Italy’s match-winning conversion against Wales last month.
It ended his country’s seven-year wait for a victory in the Six Nations and Garbisi’s tearful celebrations were beamed around the world.
‘It’s funny,’ he says. ‘Since I returned to Montpellier, the guys here have been taking the p***. We play a lot of table tennis and when they win a point they drop to the ground and pretend to cry, just like I did in Cardiff.
‘It was the best moment of my life. You could see my emotion. It was incredible. Italy had not won for so long, so it was special, but it must be a point to build from, because we can’t wait another seven years to win again. We need to keep improving. We must keep winning matches.’
On a charter flight back to Rome, Garbisi celebrated with his team-mates. Together, they partied in the capital before he spent half the week with his family in Venice and the other half exploring the hills around Florence with his girlfriend. There was one noticeable difference after the victory: the questions about Italy’s place in the Six Nations stopped.
‘Maybe some of those people who wanted to see us relegated have changed their opinion now,’ he says. ‘Maybe they haven’t. I don’t care. We don’t really talk about the people who want us out of the Six Nations. If the win silenced some of our critics, then great. But we know we must still make big steps forward.
‘Our Under 20s had the best Six Nations we have ever had, winning three out of five games. My brother was in that team! We need to make sure we transition those guys carefully, don’t lose them, and that can help us.
‘Do I think the Six Nations should change? Relegation? Expansion? I think seven teams would make it too long and I think the Rugby Championship needs South Africa for it to stay competitive. Of course, I am going to say we should keep things the way they are.’ Fluent in Italian, French and English, Garbisi is balancing his rugby career with a law degree. He talks about his ambitions to become a lawyer, but first there is business to attend to on the pitch.
Only 21, his sporting career has just taken off. He signed for Montpellier as a budding squad player but has kicked on to establish himself as the club’s starting fly-half. His rise has forced a shift in the pecking order, with Springbok Handre Pollard squeezed out of the No10 jersey.
‘I 100 per cent didn’t expect this when I moved here,’ he says. ‘As a human being and a rugby player, I moved here to learn. Learn about rugby, learn about life, learn a new language. There was an opportunity to move to Clermont when I was 16, but I said no. It is my first time not living with my parents!
‘I was given more chances to play than I expected when I joined because Handre was away with the Springboks. Playing alongside him has been amazing. He’s a worldclass No10. When he’s playing 12, it makes things so much easier. He has the skills to do whatever he wants on a rugby pitch. He helps me out and you feel less pressure when he’s with you. If you count the amount of errors he makes during a whole season I don’t think you would reach five. He’s so strong.’
Today, the play-making pair will combine against Marcus Smith’s Harlequins team of great entertainers in the European Champions’ Cup. Smith has already beaten Garbisi and Pollard when he was playing for England this season, but the heavyweights of Montpellier will pose an altogether different challenge.
‘I’d never met Marcus Smith before but we spoke for a while after our game in Rome,’ Garbisi
It was the best moment of my life, you could see my emotion
says. ‘He runs the attack very well, hiding himself behind the pods of forwards. He loves to play with the ball in the hand and go through phases, and he looks more comfortable doing that with Quins.
‘Club rugby is very different to international rugby. Defences are a lot better in international rugby, so it’s more difficult to play that open rugby. Our style at Montpellier is very different to Harlequins.
‘There’s no secrets. It’s very clear when you watch us play that our strength is the set piece, the kicking game, the defence. That’s why we’re leading the Top 14 right now.’
Garbisi is thriving in the land of giants. ‘Top 14 games are different to Premiership games. In the Top 14 the game is slower and the impacts are bigger. Players are very big, they smash into each other, and the game is not that fast, so it’s harder to find spaces. The more we can play this game in the Top 14 way, the better it will be for us.’