Not a shock result if you are a unbiased rugby fan with Italy slowly getting stronger over the last few seasons. Last year Ireland were lucky to win 22-17 in Rome and what stood out was the Italian forwards who were becoming far more dominant. In 2023 Italy beat Australia 28-27 so they do have the ability to win when others have written them off. Last year they beat Australia so they are a team to be reckoned with and pose a threat to any team on their day.
I remember watching the U20 Six Nations Tournament a few years ago and was impressed with the Italian forwards who were of the right size and were very aggressive. Those players are now forming the core for the Italian rugby team and why the team is on the up. Having a decent forward pack is what previous Italian teams were lacking and now they have the players to create a very competitive team.
The give away is in the past touring teams playing in the Autumn International test series used to select a second string team blooding new players and saw this game as less important. Over the last two years this has not been the case as international teams know Italy poses a serious threat.
Scotland losing today especially playing in Rome was kind of expected and the article calling this a shock defeat for the Scottish team is an insult to the Italians. The Italian team is not a favorite to win this years Six Nations and rightly so, but they will be posing a threat to the Welsh and Irish and on their day could upset England or France. England play Italy in Rome and this will be a battle that will be very close and is no forgone conclusion England will win.
If you look at the form of the Italians in their last 5 games before their :shock: win against the Scottish team today. The Italians lost 14-32 to South Africa at home which is against the number one team in the world. The South African coaching staff hold Italy in high regard and see the threat they pose and rate the Italian team. The forwards are regarded as the second/third best pack in Europe and you cannot take them lightly and if you do this is at your peril. The Scottish lost 5 lineouts today and were also penalised in the scrum which only happens when a team is under pressure.
The week before the Italians lost to South Africa they defeated the Australians which was a shock for the Australians as they were seen as the team on the up. Most teams who try take Italy on up front with the forwards will come off second best unless you have a dominant pack. South Africa took 60 minutes to break down the Italians and other teams will take longer.
Today England take on Wales who should be the team coming last this year as the Welsh are in turmoil. This is a combination of not selecting the right players and something missing in the coaching department. The Welsh should not be competing for the wooden spoon as they are a rugby mad playing country.
The favorites for this tournament have to be the French followed by France then England followed by Italy, Ireland and Wales. What I witnessed when watching Ireland the other night playing France did not show much hope for the Irish. They will raise their standards for the bigger games and could easily underestimate the Italians. Most teams would have taken notice now of todays result so the Italian threat has been fully exposed.