Fight to the end and pray for some magic
Conor O’Shea tells Brendan Gallagher how he plans to take Italy to the next level
PREVIEW…
Italy v Wales
Today. Kick-off 2pm
ITALY under Conor O’Shea have already got six Tests under their belts – three wins including an historic victory over South Africa and three defeats – but ultimately coach and players will be judged on how they perform in the Six Nations. That’s just the way it is and the scrutiny proper starts against Wales in Rome this afternoon.
The annual Six Nations is the yardstick the wider rugby world uses to assess Italy and thus far the record is 12 wins and a draw in 80 games. Many throw their hands in despair at that, but given that Italy have started just about every one of those games as underdogs – sometimes massively so – perhaps we are being harsh.
In football, if a team from the Championship had claimed 12 Premiership scalps in 17 seasons of FA Cup combat, we would be raving about their ability to raise their game and consistently tackle the big boys.
Italy have defeated everybody except for England at some stage in the Six Nations and it is those fighting qualities, sometimes demonstrated just once or twice a season, that O’Shea has been emphasising since taking over the reins.
“We want Wales leaving the Olympic Stadium thinking this is a different Italy,” said O’Shea, below. “We’re not winning World Cups, we’re not winning Six Nations, but we will be unbelievably competitive. This season my minimum requirement is 400 minutes of total commitment in the five games.
“We must fight every match to the bitter end. Do that and we’ll get better. I will be judged by others by our results but I will judge the players on their performance and work ethic over 80 minutes.”
“The longer we can stay in a game, the more likely it is the pressure will turn and then hopefully we’ll get a bit of a break, we’ll get a bit of magic, a decision that goes our way; that’s what sport is. Do that and we’ll have more great days like South Africa.”
“The great Italian football teams in the past were based on an incredible defence and then you had Roberto Baggio or Paolo Rossi and that bit of magic. We need to be unbelievably difficult to play against and then have the magic to do something when it counts. I want Italy to become a bit of a nightmare to play against.”
Two home games first up is an unusually kind start for the Italians and they need to take full advantage with two top drawer performances. That might not necessarily result in two wins but it will be no fun whatsoever travelling to Twicken- ham and Dublin off the back of two thumpings. They have to hang tough.
Possessing a strong bench is a big part of that and it is interesting to note that even with the injured Simon Favaro and Dries van Schalkwyk absent, Italy have held back Michele Campagnaro, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Josh Furno, Francesco Minto, Tomasso Allen and Giorgio Bronzini from starting duties. That’s the strongest Italian bench in a long while.
Wales may have put 60 points on Italy in each of their last two Six Nations meetings but traditionally they have had more trouble than any other team bar Scotland in putting the Azzuri away. Twice they have lost to Italy in Rome in the Six Nations while in 2006 they were held to a draw at the Millennium Stadum while they scraped home by five points at the Flaminio Stadium in 2009.
Italy’s 30-22 win over Wales in 2003 represented one of Italy’s best ever Six Nations performances with a late try by Dwayne Peel for Steve Hansen’s Wales adding a little respectability to a poor performance from the visitors.
Demonstrably the better team on the day there were tries from Giampiero De Carli – now Italy’s forwards coach – hooker Carlo Festuccia, who has recently re-signed for Wasps, and New Zealand-reared back rower Matthew Phillips. Diego Dominguez, in his final season of Test rugby, did the rest, kicking 15 points.
Four years later it was much closer and more controversial with Italy winning 23-20 after referee Chris White had prevented Wales from taking a line-out close to the Italy line.
A 77th minute try from Mauro Bergamasco had appeared to clinch a narrow but deserved 23-20 won when referee Chris White awarded Wales a penalty 35 yards out to the right of the posts with nine or ten seconds apparently left on the match clock. White said “yes, if you kick it into touch quickly, you have ten seconds”
James Hook came forward and taking careful aim kicked the ball deep into the corner at which point the match clock indicated one second past 80 minutes. As the ball crossed the touchline the TMO informed White the game was over and the English referee blew for no side and finished the game… a decision which kicked off the mother of all stinks.
By the letter of the law White was correct but Wales, indignantly, pointed out that they believed, possibly incorrectly, they had been told there would be a line-out. What White had in effect said was that they had ten seconds to kick the ball over the touchline.
The English referee did later issue a statement apologising for the “misunderstanding” but rather pointedly did not admit making a mistake in law. All of which chimes with recent controversy surrounding the finish of the Connacht European Champions Cup match against Wasps in Galway.
Hopefully there will be no such controversy this time – and, for the record, since the New Year a penalty awarded in added time can now be kicked to touch for a line-out – but don’t be surprised if the game goes right down to the wire nonetheless. That’s what Italy are working towards.
