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Youthful Italy side boasts promise in RWC warm-up
Italy are set to kick-off their Rugby World Cup preparations in Dublin on Saturday, with the Azzurri taking on Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.
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Conor O’Shea has named his squad for the test and has opted to include a number of younger players in the starting XV, with the game clearly seen as an opportunity for those newer faces to impress against an Irish side that has a number of regular starters involved.
Italy’s remaining warm-up games will see them host Russia the following week, before finishing up with trips to Paris and Newcastle to take on France and England respectively.
The experience of Carlo Canna, Tommaso Benvenuti and Guglielmo Palazzani has been retained in the back line, alongside established options such as Angelo Esposito and Edoardo Padovani. The inclusion of 21-year-old Benetton centre Marco Zanon, however, offers Italian fans a new look midfield partnership with Benvenuti.
🔵 #Italrugby: ecco il XV che sabato scenderà in campo con l'Irlanda ➡ https://t.co/YukRoe27wV#RoadtoRWC2019 #IREvITA pic.twitter.com/4jM19U1oGa
— Italrugby (@Federugby) August 8, 2019
Zanon, who had a strong Guinness PRO14 campaign last season, is set to win just his second cap for Italy, with the first coming against France earlier this year in the Guinness Six Nations. A powerful and incisive ball-carrier, O’Shea will be hoping that Zanon can expose Ireland’s midfield pairing of Chris Farrell and Garry Ringrose.
There is a similar theme up front in the forwards, with tighthead prop Marco Riccioni in line to make his debut in the starting XV, as Benetton continue to pump out impressive young Italian players ready for international rugby. He will be joined in the pack by Giovanni Licata, with the Zebre back rower continuing to make a reputation for himself after impressing at age-grade levels previously.
Experience in the pack comes in the forms of second rows Dean Budd and Alessandro Zanni, whilst props Simone Ferrari and Andrea Lovotti wait in the wings on the bench.
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Riccioni’s opposite number in Dublin will be British and Irish Lion Jack McGrath, whilst Licata will need to bring success on the gain-line as both a carrier and a tackler to help mitigate the likes of Rhys Ruddock and Jordi Murphy in the Irish back row.
The trio of Zanon, Riccioni and Licata all played together for the Italian U20 side in 2017, with their impressive transition to the senior club and international game over the last year an indication of the positive work that O’Shea has been doing with the Azzurri. Riccioni captained that U20 side and all three have made sizeable strides in their development over the past two years.
Expectations around Italy at the Rugby World Cup will be realistic and few are expecting them to escape from a pool that boasts both New Zealand and South Africa, but if this impressive young triad can force their way into O’Shea’s 31-man squad and pick up valuable experience in Japan, then Italy could be on a path to being more of a force in the next cycle.
Watch: Rugby Explorer – Italy
Comments on RugbyPass
Big difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to comments