Italy look within for new head coach to lead 'ambitious' team

The Italian Rugby Federation have confirmed the appointment of Plinio Sciamanna as the new head coach of Italy Women.

An assistant coach with the team since 2021, Sciamanna previously held the head coaching position on an interim basis and led the Azzurre‘s summer training camps after the departure of Fabio Roselli.

This year Italy finished fourth in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, having registered wins against Wales and Scotland.

Sciamanna said: “Leading the Women’s National Team is a source of great pride for me and, above all, a major responsibility. I strongly believe in this team’s potential and in the journey we can build together – creating a high-performance environment where every player and staff member feels like an active part of the team’s growth, leveraging individual strengths and continuing to raise standards both on and off the pitch.

“I believe that daily behaviors build a team’s culture and that, over time, it is precisely that culture which determines the ability to perform at one’s best during crucial moments. We have an important and ambitious path ahead of us, one we intend to tackle with enthusiasm, passion, and high standards, always placing the team at the heart of our decisions.”

In September and October, Italy will play home fixtures against Japan and South Africa, before travelling to North America for back-to-back Test matches against the USA Women’s Eagles.

The sixth-ranked team in the world will be severely tested by the teams ranked lower than them in the World Rugby rankings.

Swys de Bruin’s 10th-place Springbok Women have made no secret of their ambition to climb the rankings, while the USA have made progress under new head coach, Jack Hanratty, and the Sakura Fifteen will want their new head coach, Toshizumi Kitagawa, to have an instant impact.

The Italian Rugby Federation have also named Francesco “Coco” Mazzariol as an assistant coach. During his playing career, playmaker Mazzariol won 35 caps for the Italy Men’s team and was selected for three Rugby World Cups.

He said: “I am extremely happy to begin this new role at the highest level of Italian rugby. I have always followed the women’s national team’s journey with keen interest and engagement, and – having worked primarily at the grassroots level – I have also had the opportunity to support its development from within.

“The evolution over the past 10 years has been incredible; being part of it now is a privilege and a source of great motivation for me. I am enthusiastically placing myself and my expertise at the service of the staff and players, hoping to contribute to the group’s continued growth and the achievement of our set objectives – starting with the upcoming 2026 WXV Global Series matches against Japan and South Africa, and subsequently, the fixtures in the United States.”