Sergio Parisse: England need to produce a ‘defining’ performance against Italy after ‘close calls’ went their way
Sergio Parisse previews Six Nations clash between England and Italy.
As England, on something of a form revival, face an Italian team that shipped 73 points against a rampant France in Rome in Round Three of the Six Nations, Planet Rugby are joined once again by an all-time great of the sport, former Azzurri skipper and World Rugby Hall of Famer, Sergio Parisse.
Reference performance
“Despite their two wins this season, England really have to produce a performance that defines what they are as a team in attack,” Parisse confirmed.
“Some might think I am being harsh but I think even the most ardent England fan would concede that in Round Two, on any other day France would have completed at least three more tries than they managed. Three world class players – Damien Penaud, Antoine Dupont and Louis Bielle-Biarrey blew virtual run-ins in that first half, skill errors that you simply wouldn’t expect to see from finishers of that calibre.
“Against Scotland, if you looked at the match stats in isolation you would be surprised at the overall result, and again I think it’s honest to admit that some close calls went England’s way in some really big moments.
“But that shouldn’t detract from the good things that Steve Borthwick has achieved with his squad. When people look back at the results of this season’s Six Nations, they won’t see the errors France made or the calls that went England’s way – they’ll see two ‘Ws’ in the result column and that is all that truly matters in rugby.”
Parisse continued: “South Africa built their World Cup campaign around one-point wins and strong last 20 displays powered by their Bomb Squad, and that demonstrates the importance of both mental strength and close out performances in Test rugby.
“What England have achieved is to get some real spirit and mental strength into their team and that counts for a lot in Test rugby. They lost a number of big games, notably in New Zealand, by a point or so. Turning those results around to finish on the winning side is a key step for England and what they’ve managed to do is learn from their errors. Their focus has been to turn around their key last quarter performance and to use their bench effectively, and that’s why we’ve seen much more favourable outcomes.
“However, these wins have been largely reactive; England adapting to what their opponents are doing and allowing them to make errors under defensive pressure. But can you honestly say that at any moment in those two matches that England were in control of the game? I think it’s safe to say that they managed to break down the control of their opponents rather than exert control themselves, and there’s a subtle difference there.
“The next stage for England is to deliver a ‘reference performance’, one that defines their style in attack and one that sees them controlling the game; one that they can look back upon as a key moment in their growth into a complete team both sides of the ball,” explained the former Italy skipper.
Catch-up rugby
“I was in Rome for the French match and I was so honoured to deliver the match ball to referee Karl Dickson with my son Leo, and my daughter, Emily. But after that, I was so disappointed at the scoreline. It is simply unacceptable to ship 73 points at Test level when you’ve achieved Tier One status – that’s a given, but my biggest disappointment was how Italy handled crucial moments.
“Go back to what I said about looking back at the results – history will tell you that Italy got a real pasting, but there were times when they challenged France and pushed them, staying in the game up until the break.
“The scoreline won’t tell you of the three brilliant tries the Azzurri scored, nor will it tell you that just before half-time the score was 21-17 and all was to play for. However, Test rugby is all about probing your opponents and finding weaknesses – France might be noted for their running flair but it was poor defence and organisation against the driving maul that changed the dynamic of the game and the two hammer blows before half-time meant that Italy played catch-up for most of the second. And that’s dangerous against a team with the firepower of France as we saw,” Parisse said.
“My biggest disappointment is the calmness under pressure that we’ve seen in recent months from the Azzurri deserted them. They panicked when France fought back and that’s something that they have to reset moving forward.
Centres of attention
“I was interested to see the changes England have made from Round Two up until now. Fin Smith is a fine attacking player – Toulon, my club, found that out in the EPCR last season when he was superb at Franklin’s Gardens against us. But crucially, he is a key defensive asset in England’s push defence and the close scorelines that they’ve achieved wouldn’t have happened without his solidity in the 10/12 defensive role.
“It therefore doesn’t surprise me to see that Steve Borthwick has gone all out Saints in terms of his 9/10/12 combo and brought in Fraser Dingwall to turn around the poor performances and distribution of Henry Slade in the midfield. Dingwall is a good leader and organiser, vocal and intelligent. Does he have the gas and power needed for Test rugby? We will find out on Sunday!” Parisse chuckled.
“He (and Ollie Lawrence) are up against two of the best centres in the game right now in Tommy Menoncello and Nacho Brex (a player we are delighted to have signed for Toulon on a three-year deal). Tommy and Nacho are seriously big and skillful units and for Dingwall and Lawrence, they will face one of their sternest tests of the season in closing the two Benetton men down.
“England like to defend and to create breakdowns in the channels, whereas Italy are a lot more direct and I feel we’ll see the centres trying to stay in mid pitch and break through the seam of England’s 10/12/13 combination.
“Italy have moved Ange Capuozzo to full-back, specifically to field and return England’s kick game, with Tommy Allan on the bench. The key for the Azzurri is to compete at the breakdown and get some big runners hitting that gainline, something that Scotland failed to do in Round Three.
“In the final analysis, the form book would suggest that as England beat France and France beat Italy by 73, that there’s a 74-point difference between these two sides! But that’s simply not the case; I believe this is one of Italy’s best chances to finally get that elusive Six Nations win against England – perhaps it’s time that England’s last minute luck just deserts them – and I expect this match to be hard fought and as close as you can imagine,” Parisse concluded.