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Preview: Italy v Pacific Islands

Friday 21st November 2008

Sergio Parisse: Leading Italy from the front

What was expected to be a benchmark tour for the Pacific Islands trundles into Reggio Emilio on Saturday looking a little glum.

The Islanders have lost the two games they have played, and rarely hit the heights the three teams showed during last year's Rugby World Cup. Cohesion has been a problem during the limited time they have had, but the spirit somehow seems to have evaporated as well.

There's been a couple of brief rumbles about wanting more game-time and such, but either they know something we don't, or the Island sides are giving up on their quest for some meaningful time together.

It's more likely to be the latter. If the rugby world continues to exist where clubs continue to play all their fixtures on the same weekend as internationals, the Islanders will continue to lose out. The unions can't afford the ugly compensation packages clubs demand for release of players, and players can't afford to forego wages for a month in order to bypass that problem.

The current efforts from the IRB to introduce meaningful competition into the Islands themselves have worked well, and the depth of local talent there has swollen nicely. But it will never match the greenbacks on offer in European climes for the cream of the crop and for Tongans especially, whose ex-pats lead the world in terms of money sent home as a proportion of national GDP, there is little choice. National pride becomes a second-choice commodity when it comes to taking the chance of securing a better life.

The only rugby situation where the Islands could reach their full potential would be to have a global fixture calendar, one that ensures international windows and club weekends never clash. This concept seems to have dropped off the IRB agenda for the time being though.

In the meantime, this tour has at least brought together the best of the Island players, but the alliance has been an uneasy one. They look like a team that has never played together before, and like a team in which differing cultures have been uneasily married.

They also suffer, as Island teams so often do, from not having enough of the unsung workhorse in the squad, and far too much of the maverick. Enthusiasm and talent abounds, but in the technical structures of the modern international game that will only ever be enough for a try or two. The whole situation has made for a terribly anti-climactical tour for all concerned.

Italy have also had an anti-climax of a month. A bitter defeat against an Australia side there for the taking was followed by a very poor showing against Argentina last weekend, where little of the work against the Wallabies was built upon. The backs still aren't opening the holes and the forwards may be good, but they get more and more predictable by the game. Nick Mallett needs to unearth some three-quarter talent or a great generation of forwards may end up wasted.

The snarl about Italy's pack should be enough to douse the opposition octet's fire on Saturday, but Quddus Fielea's obvious tendency towards power in his three-quarter selection will up the pressure on Italy's backs in defence and attack. The better Italy's control of the game, the more likely they are to win. They must just beware of a South Sea sucker-punch.

Ones to watch:

For Italy: Sergio Parisse is in the running for IRB Player of the Year, and honestly, we think he should get it. Now captain of his side, Parisse combines teak-toughness with some dazzling individual skills, still managing to parade them all despite being leader of a team on the back foot more often than not. In a game that should loosen up late on, expect Parisse's talents to come to the fore.

For the Pacific Islands: Epi Taione has a long long history in the game, where his list of disciplinary indiscretions is almost as long as the list of positions he's played in and teams he's played for. But when he's concentrating on the rugby, his destructive running is jaw-dropping. Gonzalo Garcia is in for a tough time at inside centre.

Head to head: Nili Latu and Mauro Bergamasco brings together two of the bigger names from the two teams at openside. Both are edgy characters, although Latu's discipline holds better than his opponents. Both have a knack of scoring crucial tries as well, merely from being in the right place at the right time.

Recent results: None, but Italy are three wins from seven against Fiji, nought from three against Samoa, and two from three against Tonga. So five from thirteen overall, and now they get to play all three combined...

Prediction: Grand against Australia, limited against Argentina... but Italy do have the forward game to win this one. as long as they don't kick too much away... Italy by three.

The teams:

Italy: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Mirco Bergamasco, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Matteo Pratichetti, 10 Andrea Marcato, 9 Pietro Travagli, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Josh Sole, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Tommaso Reato, 3 Carlos Nieto, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements: 16 Fabio Ongaro, 17 Andrea Lo Cicero, 18 Salvatore Perugini, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Pablo Canavosio/Giulio Toniolatti, 21 Luke McLean, 22 Riccardo Pavan

Pacific Islands: 15: Kameli Ratuvou, 14 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 13 Seilala Mapusua, 12 Epi Taione, 11 Vilimoni Delasau, 10 Seremaia Bai, 9 Sililo Martens, 8 Sisa Koyamaibole, 7 Nili Latu (Tonga, captain), 6 Viliami Vaki, 5 Paino Hehe, 4 Filipo Levi, 3 Kisi Pulu, 2 Tanielu Fuga, 1 Justin Va'a.
Replacements: 16 Sunia Koto, 17 Tonga Lea'aetoa, 18 Semisi Naevo, 19 Hale T-Pole, 20 Mosese Rauluni, 21 Seru Rabeni, 22 Gavin Williams.

Date: Saturday, November 22
Venue: Stadio Giglio, Reggio Emilio
Kick-off: 15:00 (14:00 GMT)
Weather: Sunny skies, 10�C, but an icynorth-westerly breeze 25 km/h
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Touch judges: Christophe Berdos, Hugh Watkins (Wales)
TMO: Geoff Warren (England)

By Richard Anderson