Tri-Nations

Coach: Former France scrum-half Pierre Berbizier took over from John Kirwan after the 2005 Six Nations, inheriting a squad that looked to need just a little extra spark in order to fulfil its potential. Nick-named 'Le Patron', Berbizier, who coached France to the Five Nations Championship in 1993 and is France's most-capped scrum-half, could be just the man to add that spark.

Captain: Lock Marco Bortolami is still only 25, but was made Italy's youngest captain in 2003 when he led them into battle against the All Blacks, having made his debut at the age of 20 against Namibia. He plays his club rugby for Narbonne in France.

Player(s) to watch: Long-haired flank Mauro Bergamasco, who also plays his club rugby in France, is indispensible to the Italian back row. Although he is nearing the end of his career, his energy and fondness of contact show no sign of abating.

Profile: While soccer remains the sporting passion of Italy, interest in rugby is at an all-time high and after years of knocking at the door they were finally rewarded with a place in the Six Nations championship in 2000 and their continuing participation in the northern hemisphere's most famous tournament will doubtlessly allow them to improve their world standing.

With former All Black wing John Kirwan now presiding over the team (taking over from another former All Black, Brad Johnstone, who guided them during their first two Six Nations forays), Italy are gradually throwing off their traditional one-dimensional forward-oriented style to embrace the all-action gameplans adopted by the top rugby nations during the professional era.

With many of their top players also involved in European club competition, the overall standard of play is improving every month but it is likely to be a number of years before Italy win their first Six Nations championship.

Having said that, they avoided finishing bottom of the table in both 2003 and 2004, so the Azzurri are definitely moving in the right direction, and even in losing all five matches of 2005, the performances were incomparable to those of five years previously.