Italy enjoyed another memorable Guinness Men’s Six Nations under Gonzalo Quesada’s guidance as head coach after they finished with two wins and three defeats.
Italy enjoyed another memorable Guinness Men’s Six Nations under Gonzalo Quesada’s guidance as head coach after they finished with two wins and three defeats.
Their nine points meant they finish in fourth place for the first time since 2007, when they won twice (including their first on the road, away to Scotland). This year, both of the Azzurri’s victories came at home to ensure they finished unbeaten in front of their fans for the first time.
Furthermore, they pushed Ireland hard at the Aviva Stadium to claim their solitary bonus point of the Championship, but struggled to break down France in Lille, and couldn’t back up their maiden win over England with another in Round 5 away to Wales.
So, good campaign, bad campaign, ATR breaks it down…
Sharpen The Attack
Italy ended the Six Nations with nine tries – two against Scotland, one against Ireland, one against France, two versus England and three against Wales. It was the lowest total in the Championship. Wales scored 11, Scotland and Ireland 20, England 21, and France were far and away in the lead with 30.
Italy’s two victories were narrow and hard fought. They dug in and defended well and took their chances when they came. They were in marked contrast to many of the matches that featured teams racking up tries galore as their means of winning.
Against Ireland, Lous Lynagh had a try erroneously ruled out, and Monty Ioane and Leonardo Marin had tries ruled out by Television Match Official (TMO) in Cardiff. They also failed to capitalise on chances that would have given them a better chance of a late comeback against Wales. Worse yet, they had to rely on an Ange Capuozzo poacher’s effort for their only score against France.
Where they really miss out is scoring from rolling mauls. They did score once, when Giacomo Nicotera burrowed through against Ireland, but otherwise despite their forwards’ strength they didn’t come close. When they tried it against England they were driven out by a pack down by two players.
They have got their defence right – they were second best after Ireland with 16 conceded – now is the time to add a clinical edge.
An Ange-Shaped Peg In A Square Hole
Italy star Ange Capuozzo offers the star dust that no-one else, not even Tommaso Menoncello can provide, but for all Capuozzo’s counterattacking threat and twinkle toes, there is still a question of where to play him.
At Toulouse he is one of four international fullbacks, along with France’s Thomas Ramos, Argentina’s Juan Cruz Mallia, and Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn, yet he is usually stationed on the wing.
Quesada prefers him at fullback which makes his slight frame less of a target for attacks, but there are often times when play calls for a more conventional approach, most notably under the high ball, or with his boot, things which Capuozzo isn’t as strong at.
At 26 there is plenty of time to coach those improvements into him, and you suspect Quesada is unlikely to stop trying to work out how best to utilise him, because when it clicks it is magic.
Away Day Blues
Italy’s last two away victories came against Wales in 2024 and 2022, otherwise you need to go back to their triumph at Murrayfield in 2015 to find their last triumph on the road, though the draw in Lille in 2024 was a goalpost away from being a famous success.
This year, their most disappointing away loss was the final one in Wales, a match they began as the favourites. Italy weathered the early onslaught, but failed to capitalise on their early chances, and Wales came again their defence collapsed with Wales scoring three tries before halftime, and another try and drop goal soon after they returned from the break.
Their best away trip was against Ireland, and they arguably deserved more than the losing bonus point they took. It was a sign of what they should consider a minimum return. Against France, they held them, albeit without threatening themselves, until Lynagh’s late yellow card and Capuozzo’s shoulder injury that left them down to 13.
Last season, in away matches to England and Scotland the average points difference was 17.5 points per match. This season, it was down to 15.5, small steps in the right direction, and maybe a reflection that we should lower our expectations when Italy play higher ranked teams away from home.
Their showing against Ireland was a signpost of how to play away from home, but arguably it will be tougher with Scotland having made Murrayfield a fortress, and England (probably) back to form that better reflects their resources.
What Next?
Italy will reconvene for the all new World Rugby Nations Championship in July. They begin away to Japan, who they beat 42-14 in 2024, the last time the sides met in Japan, and then travel on to face New Zealand in Wellington. After their win over England, the All Blacks are the only Tier 1 team that Italy have yet to beat.
They wrap up their July tour with a match against Australia in Perth, aiming to beat the Wallabies for the third time in succession. When the tournament returns in the autumn, the Azzurri will welcome South Africa, Argentina and Fiji.
Equally important will be Benetton and Zebre’s progress in the EPRC Challenge Cup knockout rounds. For the first time, both made it through the pool stages, and Benetton will host Cardiff in Treviso, while Zebre welcome Pau to Parma.
Benetton will be confident of going far after they finished with the second best pool record, something which guarantees home advantage to the semifinals. In 2024 they reached the semis, and there should be no reason they don’t aim to better it this season.