Zebre look to De Marigny

Zebre team manager Andrea De Rossi is hopeful that new skills coach Roland De Marigny can have the desired effect after his arrival in Parma.

The Italians suffered back-to-back defeats to Treviso over the past two rounds and will be eager to bounce back against Munster on Saturday.

And De Rossi hopes that South African-born De Marigny’s presence can help improve matters at a club that now sits bottom of the PRO12 table.

“I am pleased to be able to bring in de Marigny – he is someone I know very well having been team-mates in the national set-up,” he told PRO12 Rugby.

“The addition of Roland has been considered for some time and we decided to implement it in the beginning of the new year.

“He has always been a hard worker and I hope, in addition to his expertise, he can contribute to our staff in taking care of those details that you sometimes need to win games.

“Finally I think he is the right person to help the development of the club’s youngsters.”

De Marigny, who played nineteen times for Italy, added: “I’m glad to have this opportunity and it will be an important step in my growth as a coach.”

“Zebre have a group of quality players that just need to believe in their own skills to achieve significant results for this franchise.”