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Italian beef to add more spice to Six Nations
Derm
Roar Guru
20th January, 2011
7
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Derm
Roar Guru
20th January, 2011
7

Italy announced their squad for the Six Nations earlier this week with Treviso’s Australian born fly-half, Kristopher Burton, drafted back into the Nick Mallet’s training squad of 24 to replace Craig Gower, who is out with a long-term knee injury.

In good form this season, Burton will contest Brive’s Luciano Orquera for the starting spot at 10.

Elsewhere the other notable absentee is open-side flanker Mauro Bergamasco, who is set to miss the tournament after surgery to an injured shoulder. Sergio Parisse, who missed all of last year’s tournament with a knee injury, is however available again.

In preparation for the World Cup, Italy are fielding a competitive team with some youngsters and experienced players who will play England and Scotland in the coming weeks.

There have been reports in media that Perpignan manager Jacques Brunel is set to coach the Azzurri after the World Cup when Nick Mallett’s contract expires.

The speculation goes further saying that Mallett might apply for the newly created England job as performance director.

Italy’s squad may have some more familiar names for Six Nations fans after their wider exposure in the Magners League this season, especially with Treviso pulling down some big totems along the way. And some of their bigger names such as Castro, Orquera, Canale and Bergamasco have continued to make names for themselves in the English and French leagues: Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers), Andrea Lo Cicero (Racing Metro), Salvatore Perugini (Aironi), Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet, Leonardo Ghiraldini (both Treviso), Fabio Ongaro (Aironi), Santiago Dellape (Racing Metro), Carlo Antonio Del Fava, Quintin Geldenhuys (both Aironi), Robert Barbieri, Paul Derbyshire (both Treviso), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais), Alessandro Zanni (Treviso), Pablo Canavosio (Aironi), Edoardo Gori, Kristopher Burton, Luke McLean (all Treviso), Luciano Orquera (Brive), Tommaso Benvenuti (Treviso), Mirco Bergamasco (Racing Metro), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont Auvergne), Gonzalo Garcia (Treviso), Andrea Masi (Racing Metro), Alberto Sgarbi (Treviso).

Whilst their performances in the Heineken Cup have left a lot to be desired, last-placed Aironi are still relishing the Biarrritz feather in their cap they won in Round Two.

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All told, the Azurri are likely to take at least one scalp if not two, in this year’s tournament. Weak forward-unit teams such as Ireland, and possibly Wales or Scotland, could be opened up, or more likely ground down.

Added to the Italian beef is a sprinkling of pepper and panache in the backline with Canale, Canavosio, McLean and Bergamasco getting on the scoreboard regularly with a lot more tries this season due to their improved participation at league and cup level. Signs are that they will have more to unleash from their locker than previous seasons.

Last year, Wales and England nearly came unstuck. This year, there may be some real gnashing of foreign teeth to go with some wide Italian smiles.

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