KIERAN Crowley insists Italy's young stars are better than their Celtic equivalents.
And the experienced coach believes the country's next generation will put both his Benetton side and Conor O'Shea's Azzurri on the path to success.
“I think there is now a far higher calibre of young Italian player coming through our development system”, said the 1987 New Zealand World Cup winner.
“I look at the age grade sides and there are some excellent young players who are as good if not better than what Scotland, Wales and Ireland have got in certain positions.
“They've got more depth and more quality players, but we are improving.
“There are still a few things around the structure in Italy that Conor is working on. When I first joined Benetton, Italian rugby wasn't as joined up in its thinking.
“But now under Conor and with Michael Bradley doing a fantastic job at Zebre, we are all heading in the right direction.”
Crowley, above, has transformed Benetton from PRO14 whipping boys to a seriously competitive outfit who have already beaten the Dragons and Cardiff Blues this season.
The 57-year-old – who remains of interest to the Scarlets as they search for a new coach for next season – believes more good times are around the corner.
He said: “When I came in I met Benetton sporting director Antonio Pavanello and he had a vision of where he wanted the team to go. He wanted to see a change in the way the team played and he wanted to change the culture too. We've gone step by step.
“Things have progressed reasonably well and he wanted to see an improvement in the first year and win a few extra games during the second year.
“This year he wants us to be competing for the playoffs. It will be hard to do that, but if we keep building it's achievable in the near future.”
