Six Nations: Italy aiming for more scalps

Rugby is no exception. The Azzurri are one of only two teams in this year’s Six Nations whose 30-man squads feature a veteran from the 1999 World Cup Italy’s is prop Andrea Lo Cicero, the other is Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll. But Italy will also have five players from the 2003 tournament in Australia. England and Scotland have none. France have one and Wales a couple.

“Back then the Italian squad must have been very young,” shrugs Jacques Brunel who, at the end of 2011, took over as coach from Nick Mallett after the World Cup in New Zealand.

The Frenchman has to make the most of what he’s got. His two options at No.10, Kris Burton and Luciano Orquera, will be 35 and 34 by the time the next World Cup comes around. The only prospect under 30 for this key position, a never-ending saga in Italy since the retirement of hammer of the Scots Diego Dominguez, was Riccardo Bocchino, 24, who, after the Azzurri’s 2012 summer tour to the Americas, got fed up with the burden of expectation and the criticism and decided to go back to playing amateur rugby for his old second division club, Capitolina.

“Fly-half is a pivotal role,” said Brunel, who at French club Perpignan had the privilege of coaching Kiwi Dan Carter in 2009. “The best No.10s are those who regularly get to play in that position and have done so since their youth days. I cannot put someone there if he is not picked to play week in, week out in that jersey.”

Last summer Treviso signed the promising young Aussie-born James Ambrosini, who qualifies to play for Italy and is cousin of AC Milan football skipper Massimo Ambrosini. The 22-year-old was part of the Australian squad at the 2011 Junior World Cup and would seem to be a perfect option to fill the Azzurri No.10 slot.

However, between the Rabo12 and the Heineken Cup, he has played only a few minutes, while other young stand-offs who took part in the Junior World Cup – Duncan Weir, Owen Farrell and Paddy Jackson – are all playing regularly for their clubs in domestic and European competitions. Not to mention South African Johan Goosen, who has already been capped by the Springboks.

Ambrosini is not a case apart. It is the same story for centre Luca Morisi, 22, and former under-20 skipper, winger Angelo Esposito, 19. “I can only call on those who play for their clubs,” insists Brunel.

Two years ago Nick Mallett made a controversial call when he gave the No.9 jersey to Edoardo Gori for the November Test against Australia. At the time the scrum-half hadn’t played a single minute in the RaboDirect PRO12 for his club Treviso and nor would he until he was picked, the following summer, for the Italian squad travelling to the 2011 Rugby World Cup.No surprise then that pondering how to inject youth into the Italian midfield, Brunel turned to Zebre’s Paolo Buso, 26, who had won his first and only cap to date against Wales, back in 2008, coming on as a replacement for stand-off Andrea Masi in Cardiff. This season Buso has been selected for Zebre at No.15, and caught the ever-attentive eye of the national squad coach.

Brunel has brought new ideas into the squad. His motto is “imporre non opporre” which means play positive rugby, don’t just wait and see. He wants a team that dares. Can you do that with Dad’s Army and get results?

A good 50-minute performance against the All Blacks, in November, with the Azzurri trailing 13-7 at half-time, was their best split score ever against New Zealand. And, even though they were eventually defeated 42-10, they won the praise and compliments of the Kiwi coach Steve Hansen. Back in 2009, Hansen and Henry hadn’t been so complimentary after a gritty, niggly arm wrestle around the scrum in Milan which ended 20-6 for the All Blacks, who only managed to score one try.

“This time you tried to play rugby,” Hansen said in Rome. “Your passion and commitment were exceptional.” Even if, in the end, Italy gave away five tries? “Yes,” came the reply, “because this is the only way to become one of the big rugby playing nations.”

Sergio Parisse, the Azzurri skipper, agreed. “Now we are trying to play a more interesting type of rugby, we enjoy it,” he said. The debate is open. Former prop Giampiero de Carli, now a member of the Perpignan coaching staff, is adamant.

“You have to be ambitious. Two years ago Italy beat France in the Six Nations [with Mallett as coach]. It doesn’t mean that they have become as good as the French but that winning is possible.

“So every time you get on to the field you have to play with that in mind. You know that, on certain occasions, you can be better than even the strongest squads and you always have to play for results. Daring is the right option.”

“I don’t think Nick Mallett was conservative,” flanker Alessandro Zanni argues. “He also wanted to play attacking rugby but not always and not in all situations. Knowing that Italy’s strength lay with the forwards he saw no reason to play wide open rugby. Jacques Brunel, instead, wants a better balance between the forwards and the backs and gives more importance to individual talent and decisions.”

“So far we have done it in patches,” Brunel says. “I have seen interesting things, but not always and not for the full 80 minutes.”

“The try that we scored against Scotland, last March, epitomises the type of game Brunel wants from us,” former skipper Marco Bortolami explained.

Scoring tries remains one of Italy’s stumbling blocks, however. In their 13 years in the Six Nations they have crossed the try line only 77 times. That’s three more than Scotland but less than half of England, Ireland and France’s totals.

“We still need an electric attacker,” Brunel says. “All the best squads have a winger or a full back that when they get the ball, especially on the counter attack, have the speed and flair to create something that spells trouble for the opposition. We just don’t have that kind of player.”

The only new face in the squad, ahead of the 2013 Six Nations, is back rower/lock Francesco Minto, 25, who made his debut in November against the All Blacks. “I am not exactly a youngster,” he admitted.

Young Turks are wanted… but maybe  Rod Stewart isn’t that popular in Italy any more.