Italy vs Springboks
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The depth
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So Van Staden covers hooker to make space for Kwagga on an otherwise unchanged bomb squad.
Fairly obvious now that the boks see the closers as a unit with a specific role/mandate. Up the tempo and take the game away from opposition that should already be stretched.
By extension the starters’ job is to absorb the adrenaline and passion fuelled early onslaught while redlining the opposition. Forcing their forwards to work in mauls and scrums and then to chase back to support the kick receipt.
Like so much of what Rassie cooks up it’s the classic South African plan of “maak sag voor en skop op die fullback boys - tien teen een is hy n pateet.” (Soften them up up front and kick on the fullback boys - ten to one he’s a co-ord.)
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I wonder what the long term plan is for handre pollard. He is still pretty young, and when the big pressure is on he is absolutely indispensable .
I really hope rassie and co keep him suitably psyched so that he doesn’t lose interest.
A u20 WC as well as several rugby championships and two world cups is some kind of experience. -
Italia
15 Ange CAPUOZZO (Stade Toulousain, 29 caps)
14 Louis LYNAGH (Benetton Rugby, 8 caps)
13 Juan Ignacio BREX (Toulon, 47 caps) – capitano
12 Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 32 caps)
11 Monty IOANE (Lione, 40 caps)
10 Paolo GARBISI (Toulon, 48 caps)
9 Stephen VARNEY (Exeter Chiefs, 35 caps)
8 Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 31 caps)
7 Manuel ZULIANI (Benetton Rugby, 36 caps)
6 Ross VINTCENT (Exeter Chiefs, 18 caps)
5 Andrea ZAMBONIN (Exeter Chiefs, 13 caps)
4 Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 56 caps)
3 Marco RICCIONI (Saracens, 35 caps)
2 Giacomo NICOTERA (Stade Français, 35 caps)
1 Danilo FISCHETTI (Northampton Saints 56 caps)A disposizione
16 Tommaso DI BARTOLOMEO (Zebre Parma, 4 caps)
17 Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 18 caps)
18 Simone FERRARI (Benetton Rugby, 67 caps)
19 Federico RUZZA (Benetton Rugby, 65 caps)
20 Riccardo FAVRETTO (Benetton Rugby, 7 caps)
21 David ODIASE (Zebre Parma, 2 caps)
22 Martin PAGE-RELO (Bordeaux, 19 caps)
23 Tommaso ALLAN (Perpignan, 86 caps) -
Based on last week that’s a RC
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Consistency
That’s all we ask for