IT
ENItaly are back in action, and they do it on the other side of the world. With the debut of the Nations Championship, the new tournament born from the agreement between Six Nations Rugby and SANZAAR, the Azzurri face three away trips in a row in the southern hemisphere: a short but brutal tour that says a lot about how far this team can go a year out from the World Cup.
The schedule: three stops in three weeks
It starts on Saturday 4 July in Tokyo, at the Chichibunomiya Stadium, against Japan. A week later, on 11 July, the most fascinating challenge: New Zealand in Wellington, at the Sky Stadium. It closes on 18 July in Perth, at HBF Park, against Australia. Three opponents, three different levels of difficulty, on three consecutive weekends.
How many matches can Italy win
On the prediction, DanPat goes out on a limb with percentages: Italy start slight favourites against Japan (around 60-40), underdogs in Australia and clear underdogs against the All Blacks. The match with Japan, therefore, is the one they must really try to win: a year out from the World Cup, the room for experiments has shrunk. The realistic goal is to come home with three good performances, raising the bar compared to the past.
I’d take losing all three, if it meant beating England in the World Cup round of 16 next year.
It’s the paradox that captures the moment: the current generation no longer wants to settle for the isolated prestige win, but aims to build something that counts when a World Cup last-16 place is on the line.
Japan without Eddie Jones on the bench
A detail that’s no small thing: against Italy, Japan won’t have Eddie Jones on the bench. The coach has been suspended for four matches and is even banned from entering the stadium for the 4 July fixture, after incidents of verbal abuse towards referees during Japan’s Under-23 tour in Australia. Jones will return to the hot seat only on 11 July, against Ireland. It’s a heavy absence for the Japanese, who according to DanPat will also have to cope with a few unavailabilities among the half-backs tied to club commitments in the Top 14.
Who arrives late and who gets a breather
Quesada will manage the workload. The Italians involved in the Premiership final on 20 June — the Exeter trio (Varney, Vintcent, Zambonin) and Northampton’s Fischetti — will join camp late, while within the group there’s thinking about rotations and targeted rest. A tour like this isn’t played with fifteen men: squad depth will be part of the test, as much as the results.
Read also: Italy pre-squad: 34 names, plenty of youth, no experiments · Italy v Australia in Udine: «the finest win» · Italy’s revival: the three right coaches at the right time
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