ROME, Feb 8 : Italy’s positive start to their Six Nations campaign offers them a chance to exceed expectations this year with coach Gonzalo Quesada hailing a new level of maturity.
An 18-15 win over Scotland in difficult rainy conditions at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday came on the back of a solid scrum and some outstanding defence, despite the team missing several key players.
“We never discussed the injury situation. We managed it with the staff, but we were always calm and confident in the group we had available,” said Quesada.
“For some, it was an important opportunity to take to the field, and it’s yet another demonstration of our maturity. The players who had been used less often performed very well. We showed great character. We never let the expectations placed on us influence us.”
Italy next meet Ireland in Dublin on Saturday but even though that looks a daunting challenge, Quesada is hoping to profit from the boost in confidence and morale.
“It’s nice to raise expectations, to make calculations, to think about future results. This happens when you sense that great results are possible, but we know where we still need to improve and we must keep our feet on the ground,” the coach warned.
It was a theme that captain Michele Lamoro also emphasised.
“When you win, you can never get too carried away. It’s often easy to play a very intense first match, but then you have to confirm your form the following week. And seeing how Ireland approached the match against France, we know they’re preparing for a very tough match against us, and if we’re not prepared, the game in Dublin could be a very long afternoon,” Lamoro said.
“This performance should make us understand that when we use the weapons we have, we can hurt a lot of teams. Scotland came here with a great team, and we managed to beat them in a storm that they’re certainly more accustomed to, and that’s a source of pride,” the skipper added.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
