The in-depth analysis of the national team prop, who also spoke about a new member of the coaching staff
The start of the 2024 Summer Series is less and less missing and Italy wants to play a leading role in its Pacific tour. Experienced prop Marco Riccioni gave a snapshot of how the Azzurri are approaching their commitments against Samoa, Tonga and Japan in today’s meeting with the press.
Read also, Towards the Summer Series, Italy: the rally has begun in New Zealand
Italy, Marco Riccioni: the prop’s statements
The front row player, when asked about various topics, said: “By now – he laughs – I’m used to coming back and returning to the blue team: I’ve done it many times between injuries and other injuries. Jokes aside, I feel very good: it’s always nice to be in a group and with the guys, especially when you do these tours very far from home, which become life experiences as well as rugby matches. We know that we have three games ahead of us that are anything but simple, also because, if we take our history, we see that during the summer tours our performance has always been anything but brilliant. As we said to ourselves, and as also happened at the Six Nations: we are here to reverse the trend. In these 2024 Summer Series, where we will face opponents who are behind us in the ranking, we will have to make everyone understand why we have grown by confirming what we have done in recent months.”
On competition in his role: “Competition is good: and rightly so. If it weren’t there, there wouldn’t even be the incentive to grow and improve. For a few years, having had it strong even in my home club, it is something that I experience well: I have learned to manage it. Then: whoever is fitter and understands the structures plays, there are no other things. We are three top-level props, we’ll see who will be on the pitch.”
On the prop role and its evolution: “The fundamental basis remains that of the scrum: there is the sacredness of the role, even if in today’s rugby everyone must know how to do everything. Knowing how to play only in the scrum does not allow you to be evolved and keep up with the times”.
Samoa, Tonga and Japan, what to expect: “I expect the games against Samoa and Tonga to be very physical, a fundamental where we have shown that we can fight on equal terms with many teams, while the game against Japan I see as a bit more tactical, with more extensive study phases. We will play in incredible places, maybe against Samoa I would like to “annoy”, sportingly speaking, Theo McFarland who is a teammate of mine at Saracens”.
About play structures: “We have a new defense coach, Richard Hodges: it is clear that he has different working methodologies compared to Marius Goosen. We analyzed the enormous quantity of tackles made during the Six Nations: here we would like to change a little something, perhaps fewer tackles but more definitive ones, trying to save energy. This would allow us to have more inspiration in attack: it’s true, matches are won by having a great defence, but also by scoring more tries.”
Finally, on the current physical condition of the Italian group, Marco Riccioni says: “The first few days were difficult. Perhaps more than a few of us had underestimated the jet lag. The medical staff helped us get over the time zone by giving us advice on how much and when to sleep: in the end, sleep is the only medicine in these cases. It wasn’t easy, but in 48 hours we got back on track: now we’re in rhythm.”
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