Realistic Mallett looking for new gems
Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:43
Back in town: Italy coach Nick Mallett wants to find new talent
Italy head coach Nick Mallett will look to identify some talent for the future when his charges take on the mighty Springboks in Cape Town this coming weekend.
Former Bok coach Mallett - who had a hugely successful spell coaching the Springboks to a world record 17 consecutive wins between August 1997 and December 1998 which included the Tri-Nations title - touched down in Cape Town with his Italy squad and management team on Sunday.
Italy will play South Africa in a one-off Test at Newlands, before jetting off to Argentina to complete their international summer tour, but according to Mallett, the squad has been stripped of many of its key players, either due to injury or club commitments.
Mallett was in high spirits at the Monday media conference in Newlands, despite the fact that he didn't expect his team to give the high-flying Springboks too much of a scare.
"For Italy - which is a side that tried our best to be competitive in the Six Nations - to come out here and play a side like South Africa is a really difficult challenge for us," warned Mallett.
"It's the end of our season, and we're missing a few players as well. So it's going to be a real test for the youngsters."
The former Boland and Stade Francais coach revealed that he has had to bring in a largely young squad low on international exposure.
Italy will be without many of their stars, such as captain Sergio Parisse, Mirco Bergamasco, Gonzalo Canale, Salvatore Perugini and Andrea Lo Cicero, who have to fulfill playing duties with their respective clubs.
Another Italian stalwart, Leicester Tigers prop Martin Castrogiovanni, continues his recovery from a back injury, and also misses out on this tour.
Mallett explained that he has opted to provide his young charges with some exposure at the highest level.
"Italy has a local championship, the Top 10, and quite a few Italian players who play outside their country," he said.
"A lot of those players haven't been available through injury, or because they're involved in the French [Top 14] semifinals and Finals. There are seven or eight players [unavailable for the Italy squad].
"The majority of this squad comes from the Italian championship, and the majority of them are quite young as well.
"Obviously what I'm looking for at the end of this tour, is to find five or six players who have really shown that they can step up and compete."
Mallett of course knows the Springbok culture and structure better than most, and said that he was expecting a very tough challenge from the home side, based on the relatively easy manner in which the Boks beat Wales over the past two weeks.
"If you look at the quality of the Super 14 competition, and how well the South African teams played in that, and the way [the Springboks] played against Wales, particularly in the first Test.
"We must not forget that Wales won the Six Nations, and despite them missing one or two players, they are probably the best team in the northern hemisphere this year."
It is clear that Mallett will be using this tour to develop some depth for the future of Italian rugby, with an eye specifically on the 2009 Six Nations championship.
"It would be completely naive to think that this Italian side can come to South Africa and beat South Africa.
"Bit I think the whole aspect of respect is very important, and there are many Italian players who can show that they are enjoying the experience and who really want to compete at this level, who will be good for us at the Six Nations next year," said Mallet.
By Phil Coetzer
