Italy’s Rugby Six Nations 2024 Challenges and Triumphs Campaign

Italy’s Six Nations campaign heralds a new era in 2024 under Gonzalo Quesada, succeeding Kieran Crowley in steering a fresh generation of Gli Azzurri. The team, among the youngest at the World Cup, aimed for their maiden quarter-final entry. Despite initial triumphs, clashes with New Zealand and France proved challenging, their defeats underlining areas for improvement under Quesada.

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2Quesada, with a track record of success in French club rugby and as an assistant for Les Bleus and Argentina, brings promising building blocks for Italy’s Six Nation growth. Drawn against New Zealand and France, reaching the quarter-finals was always a formidable task. Yet, Italy kicked off their campaign impressively, triumphing over Namibia with a resounding 52-8 victory and seven different try-scorers.

Another triumph followed against Uruguay in a contrasting encounter for Italy Six Nations. Despite early setbacks, including sin-binning for Lorenzo Cannone and Danilo Fischetti, Italy rallied from a 17-7 deficit, securing a 38-17 win. This victory provided them with opportunities to reach the quarter-finals, although subsequent clashes with New Zealand and France proved formidable challenges.

In both pivotal matches, Italy Six Nation struggled to maintain momentum, allowing significant leads to slip away. Against New Zealand, Aaron Smith’s hat-trick led to a 96-17 defeat, while France’s Thomas Ramos contributed 20 points in a commanding 60-7 victory in the final group game. Lorenzo Cannone, with two tries in the initial games, solidified his pivotal role within the Italy Six Nation pack.

Italy’s Backline Conundrum Balancing Talent in the SN

Despite a yellow card against Uruguay, the dynamic No.8 showcased remarkable prowess as a ball-carrier. Meanwhile, Ange Capuozzo’s consistent excellence, whether on the wing or notably at full-back, continues to shine. The strategic quandary for both Crowley and Quesada revolves around fitting Paolo Garbisi, Tommaso Allan, and Capuozzo into the same Italy Six Nation backline.

This poses the question of potentially shifting Garbisi to the inside center or Allan to full-back. Italy boasted one of the World Cup’s youngest squads, resulting in minimal post-tournament departures, with versatile prop Federico Zani being the sole confirmed retirement. Following the World Cup, only Federico Zani has officially retired, leaving uncertainties regarding further departures within the Italy Six Nation squad.

Luca Morisi and former captain Luca Bigi represent the next oldest players in the squad that journeyed to France, emphasizing the youthful composition of the team. In a crucial match-up between Ukraine and Italy in Leverkusen, the stakes are high to determine the second team, alongside Group C winners England, to automatically return to Germany for Euro 2024 next summer. While the Azzurri hold second place and can advance with a draw, Ukraine requires nothing less than a victory to progress.

Italy secured a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture against Ukraine, dominating with 24 attempts on goal compared to Ukraine’s nine and holding possession at 63.9%. With Ukraine under pressure to attack, the reigning champions, unbeaten in nine matches against Ukraine and victorious in seven, stand poised to capitalize. Expectations favor Italy to triumph again tonight in this crucial Italy Six Nation match.

Italy’s Defensive Challenges Ahead of Pivotal Six Nations Match

Italy has showcased their scoring prowess in Group C, netting 16 goals across seven matches, with seven of those goals materializing in the second half. Their recent form includes four wins in their last six matches across various competitions. Anticipate Italy to potentially turn a halftime draw into a second-half victory, considering their average of 10.6 shots per game in qualifying.

Mykhailo Mudryk and Artem Dovbyk, averaging two and 1.4 shots per game respectively in qualifying, pose threats for Ukraine against the Italian defense. Notably, Italy has struggled to keep clean sheets, conceding in six of their last seven matches across all competitions. The expectation is for Ukraine to test the Italian backline and aim for over 10.5 shots when they clash in Leverkusen during this critical Italy Six Nation fixture.

In terms of Italy team news, Federico Chiesa’s recent brace suggests he’s likely to retain his position on the left, while Jorginho maintains a pivotal midfield role. The predicted Italy Six Nation lineup includes Donnarumma; Darmian, Gatti, Acerbi, Dimarco; Barella, Jorginho, Bonaventura; Berardi, Raspadori, and Chiesa.Six Nations due to significant injuries. Saracens revealed that Ben Earl, a key England World Cup star at number eight.

Requires surgery for a medial knee ligament issue sustained during a warm-up before their London derby. Although Saracens hinted at a shorter layoff of around six weeks instead of the initially presumed 12, this news follows Tom Curry’s sidelining due to a long-term hip injury requiring surgery. Adding to the challenges, the retirement of Courtney Lawes post-World Cup deprives them of one of their all-time greats, especially impacting their starting back-row, a crucial unit in their recent successes.

Italy’s Back-row Challenges Quesada’s Adaptation in Six Nations

Gonzalo Quesada faces a revamped scenario as the dominant back-row strength that characterized their last seven matches for the Italy Six Nation campaign is now compromised. Moreover, uncertainty looms over Lewis Ludlam due to his impending move to Toulon. Although the specifics of his deal remain unclear at present, his availability for the upcoming Six Nations in February might also be affected.

James While from Planet Rugby assesses seven potential players to fill the substantial voids left by Lawes, potentially Earl, Ludlam, and Curry, as Borthwick’s squad enters the second phase of their evolution, focusing on consolidation and rebuilding as they gear up for the next World Cup cycle. France’s captain, Antoine Dupont, will be absent from next year’s Six Nations as he gears up for rugby sevens at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) disclosed to AFP that Dupont, aged 27, will forego the 15-a-side competition scheduled between February 2 and March 16, 2024. Opting to represent his country in the World Rugby seven-a-side circuit, known as SVNS, Dupont will prioritize Olympic preparations over the Six Nations.

Joining the national sevens squad in January, Dupont will partake in SVNS events scheduled in Vancouver, Canada on February 23-24 and in Los Angeles on March 2-3. His withdrawal from the Six Nations will necessitate France’s head coach, Fabien Galthié, to appoint a new captain and start scrum-half for the tournament. France’s Six Nation campaign kicks off against Ireland in Paris on February 2, with fixtures against Italy and England at home, alongside away games in Cardiff and Murrayfield.

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