NICK MALLETT seems to have finally decided to put his experimenting on the back burner and keep his players in positions where they are at their most effective for Ireland’s visit to the Eternal City on Sunday.
A week after discovering that a world-class flanker doesn’t automatically convert to a Test-level scrumhalf, Mauro Bergamasco is back in the number seven jersey following the unmitigated disaster that was his showing in the 36-11 loss to England at Twickenham.
With the familiar number seven on his back Mallett is sure that Bergamasco will respond well and tear into Ireland in the same way that he did in the 16-11 loss 12 months ago, when Brian O’Driscoll and Shane Horan were on the receiving end of some powerful hits. “The match at Twickenham was delusional for the whole group, players and staff. Mauro returns to the backrow and I think we can expect a great performance from him,” Mallett told reporters in Rome.
The South African said he was impressed with Ireland in the 30-21 defeat of France at Croke Park and believes they have finally shaken off their post-2007 World Cup hangover, thanks in no small part to Declan Kidney.
“Our opponents are coming off the back of an important win over France, something they’ve not done since 2003,” said Mallet.
“I think that since Kidney took over last year they have improved considerably.
“With the ball in hand they are more dangerous than England and if we want to win some points, we have to play a faultless match,” he added. Replacing Bergamasco at scrumhalf is the experienced Paul Griffen who returns to Italian colours for the first time since the 2007 World Cup.
Giulio Toniolatti, who showed Mallett what a natural number nine looks like when he belatedly came on a Twickenham, will again be on the bench. In fact it is a completely new halfback combination to the one that kicked off the championship just under a week ago.
Griffen’s fellow antipodean, Luke McLean, replaces the injured Andrea Marcato.
Townsville-born McLean looked far more assured than the deferential Marcato and right now he is the closest Italy has to the steady pair of hands that they’ve missed since the days of Diego Dominguez.
“The halfback combination is the one that at the moment gives us the best chance of allowing the three quarters to get moving,”said Mallet.
“Luke McLean is in for Andrea Marcato who is out because of injury, whilst Paul Griffen is the best choice we have in the current circumstances.”
Adding a threatening backline was one of Mallett’s stated aims at the start of his tenure in Italy and winger Kaine Robertson is one player to benefit.
However, the New Zealand-born flyer realises the team will need to pay as much attention to defence as attack come Sunday, such was the Irish backline’s renaissance against France.
To that end, Mirco Bergamasco has been moved back to the centre in place of Gonzalo Garcia so as to shore up the 10-12 channel that a runner such as O’Driscoll would delight in exploiting.
“They’re [the Irish] like they were two years ago, their backline is very good,” said Robertson.
“For the last two years they’ve only been okay, but as you saw on Saturday they played really well.
“They have very experienced players on the wing and I’ll come up against Tommy Bowe who plays at the Ospreys and is very good. [Brian] O’Driscoll is finally back to his best after a year and a half of being so-so,” Robertson continued.
“Against France he played really well. He’s a strong player and very dangerous.”
Robertson and the rest of the Italian team can only look on enviously at the pairing of two experienced out-halves as Ronan O’Gara and Paddy Wallace in the 10 and 12 jerseys, whilst they are looking to the future with Marcato and McLean.
“O’Gara and Wallace are two great playmakers, so we must be careful.
“It will be difficult to contain them,” said Robertson.
