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“L'Orgoliso Non Ci Basta” screamed the headline in La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s famous daily sports newspaper, and it is a fair summation of the Azzurri’s latest Guinness Men’s Six Nations match.
The loss to France was Italy’s first setback this Championship and came after a well-constructed and well-executed win over Scotland, and a hard-fought bonus point after pushing Ireland hard in Dublin.
Gonzalo Quesada will have welcomed the break, and the chance to catch his breath with England to come in Rome, and a trip to take on Wales in Cardiff.
There is plenty for Quesada to think about, and here’s what ATR thinks will be taxing his mind over the next week…
Yellow Peril
Italy were a long way from their best against France, but for 70 minutes, they stayed in contention at 19-8. A try late on would have secured a losing point, but then Louis Lynagh picked up his second yellow card of the Championship, and France ran in their fourth try of the match.
Before fulltime they added a fifth, while salt was rubbed into Italy’s wounds when Ange Capuozzo limped off, as it turns out for the remainder of the Championship.
Lynagh’s card was reminiscent of Lamaro’s yellow against Ireland in 2025. It was for a similar offence and allowed Ireland to take advantage by stretching their lead while he was off the field. Somehow, Quesada has to show that such dunder-headed ill-discipline cannot be tolerated, as it is costing his team at vital moments.
Shuffling The Pack
Italy have made one change per match this Championship. After beating Scotland, centre Juan Ignacio Brex was unavailable, so Leonardo Marin moved forward from fullback and Lorenzo Pani wore the 15 jersey. Capuozzo then replaced Pani for the trip to France.
Maybe the visit of England provides the chance for Quesada to freshen his team. Paolo Odogwu could come in on the wing for Lynagh, or even in the centres as he has done for Benetton, a move that would allow Tommaso Menoncello to move back to inside centre, where he has been more effective.
Riccardo Favretto and Federico Ruzza could ease the burden by replacing either Niccolo Cannone or Andrea Zambonin in the second row and would dropping one of Lamaro, Manuel Zuliani or Lorenzo Cannone to the bench pay off?
Alessandro Izekor or David Odiase have been pushing to start for some time and would respond well to the chance against England. It would also mean one of Cannone, Lamaro, or Zuliani enter the fray after halftime, and give the side a lift and focus minds when they might otherwise fray.
Curse Of The English
Make no mistake, beating England would be a huge day for Italian rugby. No matter that Steve Borthwick’s side are at a low ebb and considered there for the taking (as England considered Ireland a week ago), this is the time to hit them hard and fast.
England will arrive in no mood to surrender their 100 percent record in Six Nations matches between them. The forward battle will be brutal, and Italy’s pack have consistently shown that they are up for the fight. It is the minimum they need, because they need a performance that mixes brains and brawn for 80 minutes. Last time they led at halftime, but needed a last gasp converted try to snatch a losing bonus point.
The worst thing Italy can do is see the match against England as a free hit while presuming that Wales are eminently beatable in Cardiff a week later. It would likely lead to a huge score against them, which would set them up badly against a Wales team and Principality Stadium that found its mojo against Scotland.
Keep Punching
A few seasons ago when Italy were in a seemingly unending run of Six Nations defeats under Conor O’Shea, Franco Smith, and Kieran Crowley, there was a simple explanation to their plight; they were the sixth-highest ranked side, and they finish sixth. Why should any more be expect? Especially when taking into account the number of elite clubs, and levels of interest in the sport in Italy.
Stephen Aboud’s work with the pathway teams has furnished Crowley, and now Quesada with a group of players who can and have taken Italy beyond what was once expected. There are similarities between the likes of Sergio Parisse, Marco Bortolami, Mauro and Mirco Bergamasco, Martin Castrogiovanni, and Gonzalo Canale who were pushed through by John Kirwan and the current crop.
The key difference is the modern group has a top-level flyhalf in Paolo Garbisi, who can match the world’s best number 10s. The earlier group were hampered by the ongoing inability to find Diego Dominguez’s successor. They are led well by Lamaro and will fight with everything they have to raise Italy’s expectations and fortunes.
“No more excuses, no more honourable defeats,” Lamaro said after the loss to France. “Now we want more.”