Rugby, Crowley: “Portugal or South Africa makes no difference, Italy is on the way”

“It is the first tour in four years, the first for 26 athletes out of the 33 that make up the squad. But, for us, it is above all the opportunity to continue the path we took a year ago right here in Pergine, to continue following our path, our process ”. Three months after his victory in Cardiff, on the final day of the Guinness Six Nations, Kieran Crowley did not change his approach. The New Zealand coach of Italy, a few days before leaving for Lisbon – on Saturday in the Lusitanian capital the first summer test against Portugal – approaches the international window that will culminate in the match on July 10 in Batumi against Georgia, passing through Bucharest, with the pragmatism and serenity that distinguish it. “The dynamics of a tour are different only to the extent that the marriages have a more significant impact on everyday life. For the rest, our goal is to build on the foundations we laid with the Six Nations ”.

Crowley’s work

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From Friday to work in Pergine Valsugana, now a fixed stage of the blue summer in the Trentino open-air gym, Crowley analyzes the weeks that will bring Italrugby from one end of the continent to the other: “The situation, compared to the Tournament, now is certainly different, the perception of the media and public opinion is that Italy easily wins these three matches. ‘opponent, but the primary focus remains on building the identity and credibility of Italy. “The philosophy of the work, therefore, remains unchanged:” Approaching every game to the fullest, doing the same things, always in the best way, to obtain the best possible performance, whoever the opponent is. We have three weeks and many opportunities to continue learning and gaining experience in the process, the way we want to play. chance to see some new players in a different situation from the one we usually live in is an interesting aspect of the weeks ahead “.

New group

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Four rookies in the group, twenty-six athletes on the first tour, eighteen the Azzurri with less than ten international appearances: “In the first two matches with Portugal and Romania there will be a chance for everyone to take the field and, for us technicians , to get to know these players even better. Let’s think about one match at a time, starting with Lisbon, against a Portugal that, compared to Romania and Georgia, moves the ball much more, is fighting for a place at the World Cup, and will want to prove that it deserves the stage of the Rugby World Cup. Romania and Georgia are more geared towards capitalizing on their forwards, they are two extremely physical teams and Georgia have some of the best props in the world in an orderly scrum. But we remain focused on ourselves, on our performance. It is a new stage on the path we have chosen ”

Program

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The summer tour calendar:

Portugal-Italy, Lisbon – Estadio do Restelo – 25/06 – 6 pm
Romania-Italy, Bucharest – Arcul de Triumf Stadium – 01/07 – 20.00
Georgia-Italy, Batumi – Adjarabet Arena – 10/07 – 18.00