Italy have lost 29 games in a row in the Six Nations Tournament. Their test record against England has not changed – they have yet to beat the Red Roses. For years, to those calling for relegation or even the departure of Italy from the torunament, I have responded one word – “Wait.”
The statistics weigh heavily against Italy, and other than a brief stint in 2013, we haven’t seen a promising Italian team come into their own on the Six Nations stage. I’m sure every single player who ran out onto the crisp Twickenham turf on Saturday feels that loss deeply, and so they should. Because they played far, far better than the 41-18 scoreline shows.
Two years ago, England destroyed Italy 57-14. That Italian side was fairly experienced, boasting the likes of Parisse, Lovoti, Bigi, Allan, Campagnaro and Padovani, yet still they were unable to turn the English onslaught. Only six players from that 2019 team were included this time, and that burst of inexperience has only strengthened this Italian side.
Between them, the 23 who ran out had around 600 fewer international caps than their opponents wearing the Rose. Recently, we’ve seen what can happen when an experienced side comes up against a young, fresh team – the Autumn Nations Cup Final, where England were dragged into extra time by an exceptional French defence. Something similar happened at Twickenham this weekend; a young team full of creativity and flair anted up against the current Six Nations Champions, and made them grind out a win.
From the tries by Jonny Hill and Jack Willis, we can see the inexperience in the Italian squad. These were simple, pick and go tries, where the forwards use pure strength and size to barrel over the tryline for the score. They are not pretty, nor do they require much skill for the attackers, but exceptional organisation and fitness is required from the defenders. When we look at Hills try, Italy’s defence is very good throughout, but the penalty advantage to England makes it even harder for them to defend, knowing that if they do get a turnover England have a penalty waiting. Mentally, it is far more difficult to push yourself up and commit to the next ruck when you know possession is going to stay with your opponents anyway. In addition, the more the team plays and trains the fitter they will become; this is a problem Italy have suffered from over the years, but with more game time this obstacle can be overcome.
However, if we look at the rest of England’s tries, we can see cause for Italian hope. In May’s try just before the half time break, a penalty advantage (from Fischetti off feet playing the ball at a ruck after being told to leave it by referee Mike Anderson) gives George Ford the opportunity to unleash an attack. In the Italian 22, Ford holds back on his run, keeping the attention of the Italian defender. Behind him, Daly changes his run from the outside of Ford to the inside as Farrell runs a dummy line in the same channel. The defenders don’t fall for the dummy, but instead four (including Sperandio on the outside, who should be covering May) are fixated on Daly while May burns turf along the touchline, ready for the pass. Daly passes out to May, who charges for the line. Sperandio, to his credit, manages to get to May and almost intercepts him – it’s only for the extraordinary skill of the English winger to put that ball down and score the try.
When we look at Watson’s try on the 50 minute mark, it is exceptional vision from Watson to intercept Garbisi’s pass, and as hard as lock Lazzaroni can try, no one on that pitch could catch the England winger when he sets off.
In both these passages, Italy were doing almost everything right (except four players being fixated on one – another sign this is a team coming together, but not quite there yet, as the communication hasn’t fully developed) – it was individual brilliance by the England players that caused the tries. Individual brilliance cannot be actively trained – it is honed by the players themselves through how they learn their craft. If the individual brilliance is taken away, England lose 10 points, and the scoreline is much more reflective of the game at 31-18.
The most positive developments can be taken from the Italian tries. The first score by Ioane was superb. A very good kick off Garbisi and a poor take by Itoje cornered England near their own 22, eventually leading to an Italian lineout. A well timed jump leads to the ball being shipped to Negri in midfield. With a great carry made by the big flanker, the stage is set for quick ball – Varney sends the ball to forward pods to his left and right over the next three phases, until they get a penalty advantage for England offside. Now is when Italy make their play – told to send it wide by Garbisi and Canna, Varney ships to Lazzanoni to crash the ball up. A quick pick and go by Lamaro ties up Billy Vunipola and Curry, two of England’s top defenders, and Lamaro pops the ball up to Varney, who already knew exactly where to throw the pass. During the time Lazzanoni and Lamaro have been carrying, Garbisi has gone around the back to the outside, waiting for Varney to get the ball and ship it to him. Garbisi then has three options on his outside, against three England defenders. Some poor positioning by Daly aside, the composure shown by those young men in blue to finish a very well worked try was lovely to watch. I expect this team to grace the field of rugby with some similar displays of terrific attack over the coming years.
This England team, with over 900 caps between them, is coming to the end of its rugby life. The average age in the England team is 26.4, whereas the average age in this Italian squad is 22.9. The starting halfbacks, Varney and Garbisi, are 19 and 20 respectively, and they were exceptionally exciting to watch. Youngs, the first choice England scrum half, is 31, the second choice Dan Robson is 28, and George Ford is 27. After the next world cup (or possibly even sooner), most of this England team will not be wearing the white jersey anymore. Even the “young” players, like Willis and Malins, are 24. This has been said for years, but it means that this Italian squad is building for the future. Varney made 5 more successful passes than his English counterpart; Garbisi ran almost double the amount Ford did, yet in one less actual run. They both made more tackles than their opponents, though they also conceded more turnovers (a sign of the inexperience again). If the two young half backs can continue their development, under the guise of Franco Smith, this Italian side can certainly cause some upsets over the next two years, becoming real contenders within five.
A young Italian side came up against an established English team, frustrated after being wholly outplayed the previous weekend. What I saw was a talented but raw Azzurri play against a group of bitter Englishmen. This is not a healthy mindset, and cracks are already appearing in the England camp. Today, I am saying well played Italy, but it just wasn’t enough. Next year, I hope to write about how a stalwart Italian attack bested the Red Rose defence.