Paul Virgo explains how the Azzurri plan to play to their strengths, which means they'll be counting on a ferocious front-row battle
Italy know they face an up-Everest battle at Lansdowne Road tomorrow. When asked about their prospects of victory, the Azzurri players lavish their opponents with praise and cheerfully admit the situation is difficile. On Tuesday, hooker Fabio Ongaro went as far as to suggest Ireland are the best team in the Six Nations.
Nevertheless, Eddie O'Sullivan's men would be wise not to consider the result in the bag just yet. Difficile is getting bandied around plenty in the Italy camp, but impossibile has not crossed anyone's lips.
The Italians are making a simple calculation: if we play this match on equal terms we'll lose; but if we keep things tight and get ready for 80 minutes of dogged defending, we might just nick something at the end. It's the rugby equivalent of the catenaccio tactic Italian football sides used successfully for decades. "If we can defend well and deny the Irish space, we might be able to find space and a way to score more than them, against a frustrated team," said Ongaro, who pinched Italy's match-clinching try against Scotland.
It might not be champagne rugby, but it's a practical approach that plays to Italy's strength, namely their mighty pack. To a degree it has already proved successful, against the Scots. In a game where the two backlines were about even, Italy's extra beef up front took them home. Scotland coach Matt Williams admitted his men had been "out-muscled".
One department that will be on extra "out-muscling" duty will be their fierce front row. The trio is made up of Ongaro, Andrea Lo Cicero at loosehead and Argentine-born tighthead, Martin Castrogiovanni. Thanks to their liveliness, grit and strong, streetwise scrummaging they've been hailed as one of the best front rows around.
"We're pleased to have caught people's attention. We're all quite young and we're aware that the way we work together is important for our future and the future of the team," said 27-year-old Lo Cicero, who is the most experienced of the three, with 32 caps. "We're a very harmonious trio, we even meet frequently away from the national team to bond better."
With his chubby baby face and softly-spoken turn of phase, Lo Cicero appears something of a cutie next to Ongaro, 26, and Castrogiovanni, 22, both of whom you can easily imagine eating raw steak with their bare hands. But opponents will assure you he's just as fearsome a contender.
"Castrogiovanni reminds me of myself at the start of my international career. He's got a great desire to play and to show what he's worth," the Sicilian said. "I'm a little more reflective now, I tend to make my moves more on the basis of how I see opponents playing."
Lo Cicero described Ongaro as a player with great technique and passion, who now just needs to learn "how to give 100 per cent all the time" in order to become truly complete.
Italy coach John Kirwan has said he's "not happy" with his front three at the moment. Kirwan is a hard man to please, though, and, in a way, his criticisms are backhanded compliments as they acknowledge that Lo Cicero, Ongaro and Castrogiovanni can get even better.
"I don't think they've really achieved what they need to achieve yet," Kirwan said. "The people who have praised them are probably correct, but I think where they are now and where they should be is very different. I know they have the potential to be something special."
After being an Azzurri regular for a number of years, Lo Cicero says he knows Ireland's front three very well and has the greatest respect for them. He was particularly complimentary about Munster prop John Hayes, the man he'll be boring into this weekend: "He's excellent, strong physically, very big. He's come on enormously since I played against him the first time a few years ago."
But despite the emphasis on the powerful pack, Italian captain Andrea De Rossi warns Ireland could be in for some surprises. "We'll do different things to those we do usually, in a search for unpredictability," he said. "Unlike the Wales match, where we won't risk too much because we're absolutely looking to win, against Ireland we've got nothing to lose. We want to express ourselves on the pitch as we know we can, with great passion."
In 2001, Lo Cicero moved to European Champions Toulouse, but fell out with the club's management and left after a year. At the end of the season though, Lo Cicero plans to try his luck abroad again, possibly in Ireland. "Ireland is a beautiful country with a great culture, and their players are very down-to-earth and humble," he said.
Italy has a respectable record against Ireland, having won three of the 10 encounters. The visitors have never beaten Ireland in the Six Nations, but they did once triumph at Lansdowne Road, winning 29-37 in January 1997. Centre Cristian Stoica can remembers that better than most, as it was the day of his debut. "We dominated from the beginning to the end, but it was still highly unexpected to win in Dublin and unbelievable for a young lad in his first international," said Stoica, who has picked up 58 caps since.
Stoica is hoping St Patrick might help his side spring a surprise. "It's Ireland's national holiday just before the match, so let's hope they all get drunk and arrive a little tired on Saturday."
