State of the Nation: Italy
With the Six Nations done and dusted for another year, we look at the state of affairs in each of the competing nations. First up, Italy.
It seems strange to go down the positive route after yet another bottom place finish for the Azzurri that saw them win no games, but it’s definitely been a solid championship for Conor O’Shea’s men. They have been a joy to watch at times and have unearthed some gems to boot.
They kicked off at home against England and it looked like being the same old story in 2018 after they went in just 17-10 down before it was one-way traffic in the second 40, eventually losing 46-15. Gaps worryingly opened up all too frequently which needed to be rectified.
In round two they were thumped by eventual Grand Slam champions Ireland 56-19 in Dublin, which once again prompted calls for relegation, and then it was a 34-17 away loss to France. The latter was again a situation of being in with a sniff at the break before falling away.
There were plenty of signs, though, of progress pushing through the gloom as players like full-back Matteo Minozzi, wing Mattia Bellini and blindside flanker Sebastian Negri earned praise from all quarters. The trio are all still youngsters and are the future of this side.
It was a case of glimpses of quality again being shown in defeat against Wales in round four, but what was interesting in the final round against the Scots was that, unlike in previous years, their form did not plummet as they signed off. In fact, they gave their best showing.
Scotland were on the ropes at times and with Jake Polledri shining on debut and Marcello Violi and Tommaso Allan pulling the strings very well in the half-backs, the Azzurri came agonisingly close to finishing with a win. Alas they came up just short but, once again, positives.
Ultimately, a winless campaign means 17 straight Six Nations losses for Italy, leaving head coach O’Shea “devastated”. It’s understandable for O’Shea to feel this way after coming so close over the weekend but he must surely be enthused and confident his team are on the right path after the past few weeks. Negri, Polledri, Violi, Allan and Minozzi can be a new spine to his XV, with the future definitely bright.
O’Shea can also be credited with giving the likes of Leonardo Ghiraldini and Sergio Parisse a new lease of life in the international game while Andrea Lovotti and Simone Ferrari stood up well in the forwards, as did Dean Budd and Alessandro Zanni, who put in tireless shifts.
Now the challenge is to take this form into June when they head to Japan desperate to end this losing run. A series win would be priceless.