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'When the Wasps fans see him they'll say 'he's small' but so is Kolbe and Jason Robinson'
Italy fullback and new Wasps signing Matteo Minozzi will signal the end of an 11-month battle to overcome a horrific knee ligament injury by facing Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on August 10 to prove he is ready to set the Rugby World Cup alight in Japan.
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Coach Conor O’Shea believes Minozzi can become one of the stand out players at the World Cup thanks to a potent combination of pace and electric footwork drawing comparisons with Jason Robinson, England’s 2003 World Cup-winning wing, who is also 5ft 7ins tall. With Italy’s Cup pool including New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Namibia, O’Shea will need all of his attacking weapons fully fit.
Minozzi suffered the ACL knee injury playing for Zebre and it required two operations and a long period of rehabilitation to get the full back fit again and his return is also great news for Wasps who have signed the Italian to fill the void created by the departure of Wille le Roux, the Springbok fullback, who was such a key member of their attack.
Italy will spend next week in Limerick ahead of their first warm-up game against Ireland and they are also taking on Russia, France and England before heading to Japan. O’Shea, who yesterday confirmed Zebre captain Tommaso Castello is out of the Cup, cannot hide his excitement at having Minozzi back in the squad. The fullback scored four tries in five games and was nominated for the 2018 Six Nations Player of the Tournament.
Now, with ten tests to his name the 23-year-old Wasps fullback is aiming to become the latest “small guy” to make a big impression following in the bootprints of Robinson and Toulouse’s Cheslin Kolbe. O’Shea told RugbyPass: “Matteo will be on the bench against Ireland and he is the quickest player in our squad. He is a mercurial player who has worked so hard to get back from a horrific injury. He has his speed and agility back and everyone in rugby will be delighted to see Matteo back on the pitch.
“You get players like Matteo coming along every once in a while and he although he is not the biggest, he can do things others can’t. When the Wasps fans see him they will say “he’s small” but so is Kolbe and Jason Robinson. These guys remind you that it’s not all about being a big a bulldozer. Matteo is a boy who was born to play rugby and can see things other can’t. You cannot coach that – it’s what makes them special. Some players train like Tarzan and play like Jane. Matteo trains and plays like Tarzan.”
O’Shea is unhappy with the short turnaround between their opening two Cup games with Namibia and Canada and wants the situation addressed for future tournaments. “We face a colossal challenge in our Pool but If we can get our best XV on the park then on any given day we can take on anyone. We are not delusional and are third favourites to get out of our Pool but we have x-factor players like Minozzi, Jayden Hayward, Tommy Allan, Sergio Parisse and Jake Polledri .
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“We have Namibia and Canada in the space of four days at the start of our Cup campaign and we know they will be targeting us. To prepare for the biggest event for any rugby player and have to play two games in four days is something that has to be looked at. We will be traveling for four or five hours after the Namibia match. This is the fittest Italian squad there has been and we had to start this at the beginning of June and across the board we are in a good situation.
“We will finalise when our 31 man squad for the World Cup will be named after we play Ireland and there is a lot riding on the match for some players. You want to give everyone a chance to impress and push for those last few places and those selections revolve around do you take 18 forwards and 13 backs or 17 and 14? The last three or four selections give energy and balance to the squad. It has been unbelievably hot here in Italy and it will go down a bit in Ireland next week.”
Members of the Italy squad based in Treviso took part in a training session with the England players and O’Shea was pleased with the outcome. He added: “ It was very worthwhile and unlike the session England did with Georgia earlier this year it didn’t end up in any brawling. Everyone was very well behaved.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
20 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
8 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
20 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
8 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
20 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
20 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
20 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to comments