LONG READ Calum MacRae: 'Tommaso Menoncello is the best athlete I've coached but Finn Russell will be the difference'

After four years in the beautiful north of Italy, Calum MacRae is coming home. Treviso has been his back yard and Benetton his employers since 2022. In his fourth and final season at the established power of Italian rugby, he has been made head coach. The family feel around the club is the closest he’s experienced to his fledging days playing at the Greenyards, the storied home of Melrose RFC in the Scottish Borders. But family is the reason he’s leaving, with the eldest of his three children, daughter Bella, at a crucial phase of her education and the clan settling back in MacRae’s home town.

There are similarities between the rugby ecosystems, Italian and Scottish. Two professional clubs juggling a modest player base, the need to compete for honours and build their own identity while simultaneously serving the higher purpose of the national team. In both countries, this circle can be hard to square. The nations are linked inextricably back to the very first championship match when five nations became six.

MacRae had his first real taste of Italian rugby at the end of a playing career which took him from Edinburgh and the Border Reivers via Worcester to Venezia in 2010, when he spent a year playing in the same region where he lives today. He took up coaching and ran the attack at Newcastle Falcons, then drove the browbeaten Scotland Sevens squad to extraordinary heights before a successful stint as Richard Cockerill’s defensive lieutenant at Edinburgh.

Benetton are well resourced through their illustrious owners and myriad local sponsors in a region which prides itself as the commercial engine of the country. They seem to strike a compelling balance between home-reared talent and imported nous; a balance topical in Scottish rugby as David Nucifora raises the ‘quality’ bar for foreign signings.

“The majority of your squad have to be top-performing local players,” MacRae says, at his kitchen table in Melrose. He’s back in Scotland for precious family time ahead of the Six Nations shootout at Stadio Olimpico.

“You’ve got your younger players, aspiring to be top pros. But it’s really, really important along with that, if you are going overseas to strengthen, you are recruiting players not only to backfill your squad in positions you know you’re going to be light in during Test windows, but that when everyone is back, they can compete for a first-team place. They’re not just there as stopgaps. The most productive environments I’ve been in have been the most competitive.

Pierre Schoeman was one of the most impressive individuals [at Edinburgh]. He trains like it’s a Test match every single day. It’s no surprise to me he is a Lion now.

“The second part is, from a cultural point of view, not only are those players brilliant, they are very good to develop your off-field processes. Malakai Fekitoa, I couldn’t speak highly enough of in relation to his process, even at this stage of his career, how focused he is. Even though he will have words of experience for the guys he very much chooses his moments for those. A lot of it is based off his day-to-day behaviours. Instead of, as a coach, talking about those, you’ve got a living, breathing example of what a high-performing athlete looks like.

“Pierre Schoeman was one of the most impressive individuals [at Edinburgh]. People have their views around Schoey repatriating – the rules are the rules, and he made a decision to come and is committed to Scotland. You’ve got a senior player there who trains like it’s a Test match every single day. It’s no surprise to me he is a Lion now; it was only a matter of time.”

Scotland’s pilloried age-grade system continues to clunk out talent, but that talent frequently falls short against its championship rivals. Italy, by contrast, have become something of a force at U20s level. The young Scots begin their campaign on Friday night in MacRae’s Stadio Monigo base.

“The U20s is important because winning is a habit and if they have got a winning habit they have got higher expectations on themselves,” he says. “They will find themselves having their contemporaries from other countries against them in future years and if you know you’ve done the job on those players at age-grade level, you can’t underestimate the profound and deep confidence that gives them because they are talking about things they’ve done, not are trying to do.”

A former centre, MacRae is most intrigued by the midfield battle this weekend, pitting two of the game’s finest pairings at loggerheads. Italy’s ‘Brexoncello’ against Scotland’s ‘Huwipulotu’. Nacho Brex and Tommaso Menoncello, whom MacRae has coached, versus Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones.

“They are world-class,” MacRae says. “I’ve not worked with Sione and Huw but they are fantastic players. They play very effectively off each other and Tommy and Nacho play in exactly the same way.

“There’s real firepower with Tommy around his gainline ability. He is without doubt the most talented athlete I’ve worked with. Blair Kinghorn was up there in his athleticism but Tommy is probably a bigger, quicker, version of Hamish Watson. Usually, having worked with a number of fast athletes in sevens, fast-twitch attributes normally come at a cost with your repeatability. Tommy is on a different level to anything I’ve seen because he’s got the power and speed but he’s like a spaniel, he can literally go for 80 minutes. And one of his biggest strengths is his he’s one of the most competitive individuals I’ve worked.

“He loves playing with Nacho. When I came in, it was quite clear to see he and Nacho have a big-brother-little-brother bond which is irreplaceable. Nacho is that fulcrum in the backline. A lot of the good tempo and gameplay comes through him.”

With Brex pulling strings, Menoncello on the rampage and Louis Lynagh and Monty Ioane patrolling the flanks, what does a defensive strategy look like?

When Scotland got on top of Italy defensive in the past, they managed to slow their ball up. Steve Tandy did a great job in his time as Scotland defence coach.

“You are not only dealing with the physical threat on Nacho’s shoulder with Tommy running those tight lines to give them gainline but also to double-job on them so Scotland have enough width to catch Italy out the back on certain plays behind the gainline.

“Italy’s DNA is to play fast, aggressive rugby and use ball movement and Nacho is at the centre of that. When Scotland got on top of Italy defensive in the past, they managed to slow their ball up. Steve Tandy did a great job in his time as Scotland defence coach, he put a real identity on time in tackle, slowing ball up, frustrating opponents. But Italy are an outstanding side, they can knock off most teams on their day with that ball speed.”

Gonzalo Quesada has yanked Italy back from the all-court style of Kieran Crowley’s reign, but there is still a clear blueprint to play expansively. That is underpinned by a dynamic, mobile forward pack and a stout set-piece. One player, though, MacRae feels will rise above the rest.

“Points of strength for both teams are matched on the other side: front-row, back-row, midfield combination.

“Finn is a stand-out for me. The biggest difference between the teams will be Finn Russell – his ability to control a game, know when to transfer pressure with the boot, and when to bring those talented players outside him into play. He is a really complete player. He will be absolutely pivotal to the match.”

Like most elite coaches, MacRae is an all-in kind of guy. Benetton have his entire focus until the final whistle sounds at the end of the season. In the background, though, his agent is working away. There has been interest from several UK sides, but no deal yet in place. Two of his former clubs are actively seeking fresh coaching blood; Edinburgh announcing this week they are overhauling their performance staff; Newcastle tooling up on and off the field as the Red Bull era takes root.

“Obviously I have to provide for my family, who are the main reason for coming back. There are a couple of things which have come up – nothing I can confirm at the moment – and I have been talking to a couple of organisations. I’m hoping that will come out in due course.

“Certainly, down the road there are some exciting things going on at Newcastle. It is certainly of interest because of my past at the club and it was the first club I coached at. I know the path the club has been on, and there are a lot of guys I know still there.

“To see where the club could go is exciting – not only from the players’ and coaches’ perspective but guys like [head of rugby operations] John Stokoe who have been there through thick and thin. To see them get the opportunity to see the club go to a different chapter, you can’t help but be romantic about that.

“My biggest learning as a coach is, you want to take a team from a lower position and take them somewhere – show you have improved or done something they haven’t done previously.

“At Newcastle, I was lucky to get the foot in the door and work with some really good people. After that the opportunity came with the sevens when it was at a low ebb and bullets were being shot, but knowing some of the guys, I knew where I felt I could take that programme. Edinburgh, there were bullets being shot at that one, Cockers and I came in, it got taken to a certain place. With Benetton’s age profile, young to mid-20s, they had the capacity to recruit. I’d like to think at the majority of jobs I’ve done, I’ve helped progress those teams to a higher level of performance.”