Italy sent a warning to the other 13 nations that they aren’t here to just make up the numbers by defeating England 15-14 in a warm up match for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup.
This is the first time that the Azzurri have qualified for the tournament and coach Carlo Napolitano has selected a squad intent on making an impact in their RLWC debut.
Italy
RLIF World Ranking: 13
Best Result: First appearance at World Cup
2008 Finish: Did not qualify
2013 RLWC Odds: $101
The Italian rugby league team first started playing Test matches in the 1950s.
Some big matches were played against France, England and Australia in which Italy tasted heavy defeats and interest declined.
In the latter part of the 1960s, threats were made by Italy’s rugby union federation to ban anyone who played rugby league from taking part in the other code.
Similar to the situation in France, this in effect caused the game to disappear off the sporting landscape.
The Italian side wasn’t revived until the mid-1990s and they started playing competitive matches against other international sides from 2000 onwards including failed World Cup qualifying campaigns for the past two RLWC tournaments.
The domestic competition was formed in 2008 which now has eight clubs competing for the title of Champions of Italy.
After the formation of the domestic competition, The Azzurri was officially recognised as a ranked Test playing nation in 2009 when they took part in the European Cup.
The Italians struggled with the step up and were absolutely hammered by Scotland and Lebanon.
12 months later they were much more competitive against the Lebanese side and in 2011, the two played off for the final spot in the 2013 World Cup.
A field goal in the 78th minute meant that Italy was going to make its debut at the RLWC in 2013.
Being led by Anthony Minichello who is the current NRL premiership winning captain, The Azzurri has assembled a squad that will be more than competitive in this year’s tournament.
Team Line Up (likely)
1. Anthony Minichello (c)
2. Josh Mantellato
3. James Tedesco
4. Aiden Guerra
5. James Saltonstall
6. Ben Falcone
7. Ryan Ghietti
8. Kade Snowden
9. Dean Parata
10. Anthony Laffranchi
11. Mark Minichello
12. Cameron Ciraldo
13. Joel Riethmuller
14. Paul Vaughan
15. Brendan Santi
16. Gavin Hiscox
17. Raymond Nasso
Squad Members: Tim McCann, Christophe Calegari, Chris Centrone, Gioele Celerino, Fabrizio Ciaurro, Sam Gardel, Ryan Tramonte
The Azzurri will take the field with an NRL experienced pack.
An impressive front row that will see Kade Snowden and Anthony Laffranchi start the game and Paul Vaughan coming off the bench.
The Back row contains a fair amount of class as well with 2013 premiership winner Aiden Guerra moved to the centres to accommodate the likes of Ciraldo, Riethmuller and Mark Minichello.
Carlo Napolitano also has some skill and pace on the outside edges with Tedesco and Mantellato together on one side.
The spine presents the only weakness for Italy with untested players occupying the key spots apart from the fullback and captain, Anthony Minichello.
Key Player
The skipper of the side fresh off an NRL premiership victory will be looking to add another trophy to his collection.
Mini had an outstanding season at the back for the Roosters and has been an integral part of the Italian side over the past few seasons having helped them qualify for the World Cup.
‘The Count’ will be hoping to bring not only the side’s current momentum but also his own form into the tournament.
The former Golden Boot winner as best player in the world in 2005, showed glimpses of the form that won him the prestigious award through the 2013 NRL season for the Roosters.
If he can continue that form and instil his competitiveness into the squad, Italy will pose a danger to most sides.
Fixtures and Opponents
Vs Wales @ Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Kick Off – Sun 27th Oct 2:30am AEDT
Vs Scotland @ Derwent Park, Workington Kick Off – Mon fourth Nov 3am AEDT
Vs Tonga @ The Shay, Halifax Kick Off – Mon 11th Nov 3am AEDT
Key Match
It won’t get much bigger than a match in front of an expected crowd of 60,000 under a closed roof at the Millennium stadium against Wales.
This match will generate an atmosphere that very few personnel have experienced in both teams.
The enormity of the match is huge for Wales and Italy with both sides intent on starting their campaigns with a win which should ensure we see a terrific game.
The Azzurri’s confidence will sky rocket if they can back up their win against England with a victory against the Welsh.
RLWC 2013 Prospects
For a side making their debut at the World Cup, very few would have given the Italians any chance of winning a game let alone progressing further than the group stages.
I think Italy have a side that can top Group C and set themselves up for a quarter final clash.
The match against Wales will be telling in regards to whether that is achievable or not as there are no easy games for the Azzurri.
Scotland and Tonga will certainly provide great contests in Group C and this pool may produce some of the best matches of the tournament with only the top placed team progressing to the knock-out stage.
If Italy does manage to top their pool it will certainly be classed as a dream World Cup debut.
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