RUGBY MATTERS
BRENDAN GALLAGHER
A weekly look at the game's other talking points
After that brilliant last-minute win over Wales in Cardiff and a fine U20 Six Nations campaign which featured three victories, there is a pleasing vibrancy about Italian rugby right now and they are taking all that energy into a busy summer which will offer up plenty of food for thought for coach Kieran Crowley.
The “Blue summer”, as it has been dubbed, was actually planned well over a year ago by former coach Franco Smith, in his new role of Head of Performance and was always envisaged as a concerted effort to get Italian rugby up to speed and competitive again.
That it has gained added impetus with a modest but encouraging upturn in performance and results last winter is a happy coincidence.
Because of their Six Nations membership Italy do not lack for finance – especially compared with the T2 nations seemingly snapping at their heels – and they need to start bringing those resources into play and put themselves about more.
So first, Azzuri coach Crowley is preparing for an interesting block of Tests, with away games in quick succession starting with last night's 38-31 win against fast-improving Portugal, then dogged Romania followed by the showpiece game against Georgia in Tbilisi when bragging rights will be at stake.
Georgia should clearly get first shout at any extended European Six Nations tournament even if the money men see only £££ signs and want South Africa on board but in the meantime a full throated game against the Italians in front of a big crowd should showcase what Tbilisi has to offer as a venue.
Both teams are resting a few injured players but are otherwise fully booted and suited and hopefully one of the bewildering number of TV outlets now covering our game has organised some coverage. It will be fascinating to see how Italy react to the novelty of being favourites. They have been playing at an elite level for a long time now, can they really bring that to bear when they step down a notch?
But there is more, much more.
Earlier this month Emerging Italy, with scrum-half legend Alessandro Troncon coaching what is in effect Italy's Third XV beat the Netherlands 50-5 in Rovigo to put alongside a narrow win over Romania A in Parma in December.
The Emerging Italy team is really Smith's baby and is selected exclusively from Italy's domestic league – the Peroni Super Ten – which is beginning to find its feet again with the standard much improved. Smith and the Italian Federation see the strengthening of the Super Ten as key to Italy's reemergence as a rugby nation.
Full time professionals from Benetton and Zebre are ineligible, Emerging Italy is strictly for the up and coming players, many of them part time or students, the occasional old stager who still has fire in his belly plus those rugby itinerants from Argentina or South Africa considering making Italy their home and seeking to qualify for the national team via residence.
It's a key part of the change of emphasis. Bolstered by the knowledge that a better standard of player is now coming through the Peroni Ten to feed Benetton and Zebre, they will not now stand in the way of top players looking to play in England and France.
Hence in the last month or so London Irish alone have signed three current Italian internationals – prop Danilo Foschetti, centre Luca Morisi and another prop in Giosue Zilocchi – while Worcester have snapped up flanker Renato Giammarioli. This might become a trend with Premiership clubs having to cut their cloth under the harsh salary cap restrictions.
A number of their U20 squad have also signed Espoirs contracts in France. Brilliant young centre Francois Mey has been snapped by Clermont and fellow U20 cap Giovanni Sante, normally a fly-half, is going to Montpellier while athletic young flanker David Odiase has been linked with Leicester Tigers.
Anyway back to the “Blue summer”, a number of that Emerging squad have performed well enough to earn selection for Italy A on a demanding whirlwind trip to South Africa which saw them start with a 43-21 win over Namibia in Stellenbosch on Friday before their real test next week, a match with a Currie Cup XV at Port Elizabeth.
The A squad for the trip down south is augmented by a good number of more experienced campaigners such as former national captain Luca Bigi, utility back Carlo Canna, classy wings Mattia Bellini and Luca Speradino and young lock Lorenzo Cannone.
And then there is the one-off “Summer U20 Six Nations” – with Georgia and South Africa invited to the party – which the Italians are themselves hosting, a nice little consolation prize after missing out on the 2020 Junior World Cup which they were also due to host before Covid did its worst. Four key men from their starting 15 from the winter are alas out injured or unavailable. Flanker Odiase, outstanding No.8 and skipper Giacomo Ferrari and lineout ace Riccardo Andreoli are out injured and scrum-half Alessandro Garbisi has won immediate promotion to the national squad for their summer tour. It's worth noting that wing Tommaso Menoncello and utility back Leonardo Marin – also on that summer tour – would both still be eligible for the U20s if they had not been fast tracked to Test duty earlier this year.
A number of fine young prospects remain, however, including their fearsome front row of Lapo Frangini, Riccardo Genovese and Luca Rizzoli while Ross Vintcent is a major prospect at flanker. Mey and Sante remain in situ and utility backs Nicolo Teneggiis and wing Flavio Vaccari are also highly rated.
With home advantage the young Italians could go well although rugby has been in short supply recently for most with school and university exams taking precedence.
One thing is for sure though.
After a dark old stretch there is definitely light at the end of the Italian tunnel and as much international exposure as their players could reasonably want or expect.
