Italy’s rugby wants to confirm itself, Quesada: “News in the game”

Three matches in a month, three exciting challenges with complicated if not impossible opponents: but in recent seasons the Italy of rugby with Capuozzo, Fischetti, Ross, the Cannone brothers and captain Lamaro among others, he proved to be up to the best. This morning, preparation for the events began at the ‘Giulio Onesti’ center in Rome Autumn Nations Series. Led by the coach Gonzalo Quesadathe Azzurri will face Argentina in Udine on Saturday 9 November at 6.40pm, Georgia in Genoa on Sunday 17 (2.40pm) and New Zealand at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday 23 November (9.10pm) . Pumas, Lelos and All Blacks: all matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sport channels and free-to-air on TV8.

Coach Quesada promises: “News in the game”

“All the teams studied our game. We will have to introduce some new things”: Gonzalo Quesada, strongly supported by the then Fir president, Marzio Innocenti, led Italy to a series of historic successes. In more recent times, the Azzurri have beaten Australia and Scotland, drawn in France, won in Wales, Japan and Tonga. The team rose from thirteenth to eighth position in the world rankings. We are among the greats, but the difficult part comes now: we need to confirm ourselves. The November debut will be very tough, because the Argentine Pumas (6th place in the ranking) have just beaten Australia, the All Blacks and the world champions South Africa. For Quesada, an exciting appointment twice over: “I will sing the Argentine anthem, because it is my country of origin: but my commitment will be 100% for Italy”.

The rematch with Georgia in Genoa

Eight days later, in Genoa, the match that we absolutely cannot lose: with the ambitious Georgia (12th place in the ranking), itself the protagonist of great progress in recent seasons, there is an important revenge at stake. In July 2022 the Azzurri were surprisingly defeated in the bedlam of Batumi. The hope is that the most ‘British’ and therefore oval Italian stadium, the Luigi Ferraris in the Marassi district, can transmit the right vibrations to push our team over the goal line. “I know the Georgians well, almost all of them play in France where I coached for 17 years: they will want to demonstrate that they are at our level and that they deserve a place in the Six Nations. We will need a test of character, we will have to be ready for battle.”

All Blacks suggestion in the Juventus stadium

Finally, the most evocative match in the Allianz Stadium in Turin against the priests of the oval religion: the All Blacks in the last few they had to suffer the South African superiority but they remain a stellar team, last Saturday they overwhelmed Japan in Tokyo. The last time the Azzurri faced them, in Lyon for the 2023 World Cup, was a defeat: “I was there as a spectator, surprised to see Italy concede 90 points. A year later we arrive at this match with an almost identical group of players and almost the same staff: we want to demonstrate that what we saw in that match is not the true face of this team.”

The 34 Italians called up to Rome

Among the 34 called up by Quesada, the debut of Bertaccini from Valorugby of Reggio Emilia, an elite Serie A team (“I call up those who for me are the best, no matter what category they play”) and the return of some athletes: Allan, who seems to have solved his family problems; Lamb, recovered from a tormented injury. Eleven athletes play abroad, 17 in the Treviso franchise and 7 in the Parma franchise. Props: Pietro Ceccarelli (Perpignan), Simone Ferrari (Benetton), Danilo Fischetti (Zebre), Marco Riccioni (Saracens), Mirco Spagnolo (Benetton); hookers: Tommaso Di Bartolomeo (Zebre), Gianmarco Lucchesi (Toulon), Giacomo Nicotera (Stade Français); second lines: Niccolò Cannone (Benetton), Riccardo Favretto (Benetton), Dino Lamb (Harlequins), Federico Ruzza (Benetton), Andrea Zambonin (Zebre); third lines: Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton), Alessandro Izekor (Benetton), Michele Lamaro (Benetton), Sebastian Negri (Benetton), Ross Vintcent (Exeter), Manuel Zuliani (Benetton); scrum half: Alessandro Fusco (Zebre), Alessandro Garbis (Benetton), Martin Page-Relo (Lyon); openings: Tommaso Allan (Perpignan), Paolo Garbisi (Toulon), Leonardo Marin (Benetton); centers: Giulio Bertaccini (Valorugby), Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton), Tommaso Menoncllo (Benetton), Marco Zanon (Benetton); wingers: Ange Capuozzo (Stade Toulousain), Matt Gallagher (Benetton), Monty Ioane (Lyon), Louis Lynagh (Benetton, Jacopo Trulla (Zebre).