'There is a lot little details if you come into our team you will spot straightaway. One example - we don't have fines'
Saturday in Dublin will be quite a sight for sore Italian eyes. Treviso will run out at the RDS against Leinster never more deserving of their place amongst the European elite following a first-ever run to the PRO14 quarter-finals last May.
When the shutter finally dropped in 2018 on the regulation that one team from Italy was automatically guaranteed Champions Cup qualification on an annual basis, the feeling was it could be years before one of their franchises would ever again make it into the drum with the big boys.
Treviso – or Benetton as they have now come to be known – had just come off the back of wretched another pool campaign featuring a half-dozen losses, the seventh time in their recent dozen participations that they had drawn a sorry blank.
Off they were packed to the nether regions of the Challenge Cup with the warning to not darken the door again unless they finally got their act together in the PRO14 and qualified on merit by being a top-three conference finisher in that league.
One season was all it remarkable took, Kieran Crowley’s tenure bearing fruit in such a compelling fashion that if there was any justice they would have beaten Munster and qualified for an RDS league semi-final against Leinster, not be beaten by a dubiously awarded late penalty at Thomond Park.
(Continue reading below…)
Better late than never, though, and seven months after they were denied the fixture that would have been the biggest in their history, they have a different type of business to settle in Dublin this weekend – European pool points.
Marco Bortolami has felt every bump on the road from nowhere, which was where Treviso precisely found themselves when Crowley first set about plotting his transformation in 2016 of a club that were written off as cup and league whipping boys, an outfit not to be wasting your time on.
The former Italian lock had just packed in playing at Zebre, the franchise in an even worse state at that time. However, rather than put to use mechanical skills picked up in college in the hope that he might one day fulfil the dream of becoming a mechanic for Ferrari, Bortolami’s head was turned by Crowley’s ambition.
Three years later, his sense of satisfaction is clear. “What convinced me was Kieran’s project to build a winning culture,” he told RugbyPass. “I was sure I could add something and I also believe there is so much ability in Italian rugby which is still there that has to be explored. That is why it makes me very excited and very confident about the future.
“It was tough at the start but you learn and grow during tough times. During my playing career, I was lucky enough to be in very good teams like Gloucester and in small teams as well. For example, my journey with the Italian team in the Six Nations was a very hard journey but we have some very good wins. The good moments pay you for the hard times where you learn a lot of lessons.”
Crowley’s key trait was his Kiwi background, the approach to the game by the 1987 World Cup winner convincing Bortolami that a stint at unfancied Benetton was worth a punt. “One of the main reasons I decided to back Benetton is because I understand the New Zealand culture, how they use their values and how the most important thing is people and relationships.
“If you come into our environment at Benetton, rugby is not the most important thing. It is the people. We make sure people are in the best situation to give their best and then we will find a way together. That is a big shift for Italian players. It took a few months to get it right, but we are not stopping now.
“In today’s life we miss the communication with the people. We work to get results, we work to get more money and we are missing the journey with the people around us and we try to have that in Benetton, we try to value the people.
“It isn’t always perfect because we have got very competitive players. They want to play every week and we have got to select to them, so it isn’t easy. There is big challenges, but that is the culture we want to live in and we are living that at the moment.
“I have been in touch with a lot of Kiwi coaches and part of my development was to travel to New Zealand and have a look at the Crusaders and Hurricanes. I visited when Chris Boyd was the head coach and now we play against each other in the Champions Cup, which is unbelievable (Boyd is now at Northampton).
“To see how New Zealanders rate the performance and the sports side of the team, it comes after you set the values and the culture of your group. It is not easy because in the modern game it is about business, it is about winning, it’s about getting results but results are called results because they are at the end of the process.
“I understand it is not easy to buy into that, but I full believe that and I fully support Kieran and the team if we are going this way. Kieran probably has been the most important person in the build-up of our team and where we are at the moment.
? @ChampionsCup
? WE ARE COMING!#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/ZrKRIKHw60
— Benetton Rugby ? (@BenettonRugby) November 14, 2019
“His ability to stay calm under pressure, to be positive even if at the start of the journey results were very poor has been outstanding. He has taught us that hard work and preparation is the most important thing and that is how we have reached the level of performance we were able last year. He is staying with us a few more years, he has extended his contract and we are very happy to keep going forward with him because his experience is great and huge.”
It’s the little vignettes of the Benetton operation that stand out most for Bortolami. “There is a lot little details if you come into our team you will spot straightaway. I can give you one example – we don’t have fines.
“Most of the teams in Europe have fines if you arrive late, but we think making players understand that to be on time is a value is more important than giving a fine because ideally you want to be on board, not because you are losing something but because you can add something to the team. This is just one example but we have so many.”
'It would be great for the country, for the club, for Italian rugby,' claims history-chasing Crowley https://t.co/GFn4zPlkUZ
— liam heagney (@heagneyl) April 23, 2019
Slowly but surely, the locals in Treviso are taking more notice of rugby, a sport traditionally drowned out by the mass popularity of Serie A football and its massively supported clubs. However, there is quite a way to go yet before rugby definitively captures hearts, minds and wallets in the northern Italy region.
“It’s not easy because all these football teams are powerhouses in terms of attracting sponsorship and money, so the reality is we have one of the smallest budgets not only in the PRO14 but especially in the Champions Cup,” admitted Bortolami. “We know we have to go a long way and we have got a lot of support staff working on these aspects of supporting a team and financing the team, but we also know that people involved is the difference because if there is more budget we can be competitive against the biggest budgets. That means we are doing something better than someone else.
“The moment you start to worry about the future you are not living in the present,” he added. “The better we will be day after day, the better chance we will have to sustain the team and be there in five, ten or 20 years’ time. As a player and as a coach I reckon you should focus on the moment and that is what we are trying to do.
“We have got to make sure we do the little things well, better than the other teams because that will help our team to sustain our performance. There is so many things if you focus on results you miss in the week and if you are not working consistently on the little things in the foundations of the game and on the foundation of your relationship within the team you are going to miss something.”
One reliable presence who will soon be missed at Benetton is national team boss Conor O’Shea, who is poised to take up a role at the RFU back in England. O’Shea’s Test results might not have been pretty – just nine wins in 40 matches – but his influence rubbed off positively.
“We have been very lucky to have had Conor in Italy for four years because we are part of the system. We achieved a great season because of the job he was doing with the national players. He was at the club every week and we were discussing ideas and a new way of doing things. He was part of the system and we talked him for the four years he spent in Italy.
“You can’t take away from him his contribution. On the other hand he has a new challenge in front of him and we wish him good luck. I’m are we will build on his legacy in the next few years.”
WATCH: RugbyPass Rugby Explorer takes a trek through Italian rugby, stopping off at Benetton after visiting Rome
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
8 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
8 Go to comments