Fabio Roselli joins Sean Lynn in presenting his first ever Six Nations squad.
It is:
15 Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi 14 Aura Muzzo 13 Alyssa D’Incà 12 Beatrice Rigoni 11 Francesca Granzotto 10 Veronica Madia 9 Sofia Stefan (captain) 1 Silvia Turani 2 Laura Gurioli 3 Sara Seye 4 Valeria Fedrigi 5 Giordana Duca 6 Beatrice Veronese 7 Isabella Locatelli 8 Francesca Sgorbini
16 Vittoria Vecchini 17 Emanuela Stecca 18 Gaia Maris 19 Sara Tounesi 20 Giada Franco 21 *Alia Bitonci 22 Emma Stevanin 23 Beatrice Capomaggi
*uncapped
That adds up to 637 caps in the starting Fifteen alone; they don’t lack for experience. But the presence of only one new face in the 23 reveals part of the poser facing Fabio Roselli. A new broom he may be, but that doesn’t provide him with more competition for places.
It’s Francesca Sgorbini’s turn to try her hand at No 8, to replace the former captain Elisa Giordano. Alessia Pilani adds power and bulk to the front row, but a vital factor will be Laura Gurioli’s accuracy at the throw-in. The line-out is such a fruitful source of points these days that any weaknesses reduce the chances of success. It’s Gurioli’s first start in a 6N match.
The back-line is much as expected, thoroughly experienced and led by the captain, who is moving ever closer to her 100th cap. Roselli keeps Alyssa D’Incà in the centre. She’s a danger wherever she plays; the only question is whether she can be even more effective on the wide outside. Aura Muzzo can look forward to her 50th cap, joining six team-mates who have already passed that mark.
On the bench there’s a warm welcome back for Giada Franco after two years’ absence through a leg injury. The one uncapped player is 19-year-old Alia Bitonci, a scrum-half who must hope to be found worthy of replacing her captain when the time comes. She is one of seven Valsugana players in the line-up.
The four England-based players, Turani, Seye, Rigoni and the skipper, can enlighten their team-mates about what to expect, but I fear we must grit out teeth and assume another hiding for the Azzurre. That won’t do Italian or world rugby much good in the long run. The upside is that the remaining four rounds of the series will be a mite less testing. For the moment it’s a matter of “fronting up”.
