With the 6 Nations quite literally around the corner, I wanted to start Route One by talking about each country and some of the possible talking points going into this tournament. I'll place the countries into different posts and I'll save my thoughts on the Round 1 matches for separate posts, and hopefully this doesn't take terribly long. They are arranged in absolutely random order:
Italy: Italy enjoyed its most successful 6 Nations tournament since the 2006-2007 championship as the Azzurri recorded wins over France and Ireland in front of their home supporters and appeared to take big steps in their progress under head coach Jacques Brunel. However, it will be a very big accomplishment to repeat that success this year as both France and Ireland will be much improved, and outside of a competitive game against Scotland it is hard to see a win coming against England or Wales. That is not to say it isn't possible, but both significant form, defense and luck will be needed to scrape something into the W column.
There are two points that typically dominate a discussion on Italy's rugby fortunes: Sergio Parisse and the Fly-Half role. the former is a certainty, the latter a leering question mark. There isn't really any more that I can add to the praise that the Italian No. 8 and Captain receives, as he is both well covered and widely respected. His class and talent cannot be disputed, and when your skilled players are also your heavy lifters then the team at least has have a chance. Parisse is consistency among the leaders for metres gained and carries.
With respect to the 10 jersey, Luciano Orquera had a mixed bag last year, with a remarkable performance against France during the Round 1 victory followed up with a poor showing against Scotland the next match. He seemed to bring things back around for the Ireland game that closed out the tournament. I don't know how Orquera's season with Zebre is going so I cannot really comment on his form entering the tournament. Tommaso (Tommy) Allen ended the Autumn test series at the top of the Fly-Half pecking order by starting in the narrow loss to Argentina, having scored on debut against Australia two weeks earlier. With continued game time at Perpignan and in the Test arena, he may emerge as a genuine option for this coming World Cup. His development will be crucial for the Italians.
There were lots of positives from last year as Brunel's side had the Championship's strongest lineout (90% success on their throw and more than two steals per game), which played a role in being the top possession team in the tournament, averaging 19.09 minutes per game of control. Italy led the 2013 6 Nations in metres gained which is a positive step forward for the program and shows that they play more than the 10 man game they are associated with. With 2099 metres, they were finished with more than 200 metres ahead of second place France, and had over 800 more metres than Scotland, who finished last with 1281. This stat was the result of more than 122 carries and 420 metres gained on average per game (via ESPN Scrum).
To say that back-rower Alessandro Zanni is underappreciated might be a stretch given the numerous 6 Nations man-of-the-match performances that he has put in. but he is certainly hidden under the shadow of Parisse. Zanni offers much of the same style as a keen line-out operator and wide channel runner who puts in the hard work at the breakdown. That he is into the 80s in Test caps is a testament to his quality and consistency, and the 30-year-old will again be one of the understated leading lights for the Azzurri during the Championship. He is often second in the forward pack to Parisse in metre gained and one of Italy's top tacklers.
Lastly, one of the sources of hope for this Italian squad for this year's tournament and building towards 2014 is the young talent that is starting to come through to the backline. The aforementioned Allen is joined by wingers Angelo Esposito (U-20 captain), Leonardo Sarto (a big unit at 6'4", 93kg), Tommaso Iannone (uhh...) and centres Michele Campagnaro (who scored a try in his run-on debut in the Autumn) and Tommaso Benvenuti (13 6 Nations caps already). Throw in wing Giovanbattista Venditti, who was not included in the 6 Nations squad, and there is a strong collection of talent to add to the current experience available that can help Brunel build on the successes of last season's running rugby. If it all comes together remains to be seen, but there is talent coming through the Italian pipeline, helping to fill a depth chart that has been fairly bare in their 6 Nations history.
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