Six Nations Rugby, last win 7 years ago. Favreau: “Scotland has grown up, we …”

Italy-Scotland is always a game full of expectations. It is the match that has given Azzurri the most satisfaction in more than 20 years of the Six Nations, treated with tough challenges and numerous “tricks” in Rome by the Cardo national team. At least 7 years ago, the year of the last Italian success in the tournament, against Scotland, in Edinburgh. Since that moment, the gap between the two national teams has widened considerably for several reasons: “It’s their merit, but also ours. Things are always done in two,” says Simone Favreau, the hero of Murfield’s 2015 feat. is one of. The Italian victory highlights the various aspects that have brought Scotland so far away from us.

Favro, what has changed in your opinion?

“Every year Scotland starts tournaments with the aim of winning. When I got there in 2015 I found high-end facilities and staff, and it’s a demonstration of how well they’ve done a job. They have a productive ethic , which aims to improve and also enter into agreements for ownership of Murrayfield Stadium (agreement with sponsor BT, which gives the plant its name since 2014, with a focus on sustainability) Ed) In addition, youth academies have developed a lot and have bridged gaps with foreigners. Even when we beat him, I still recognized his steady growth year after year.”

Here, foreigners: how much have they influenced the development of the Scottish movement?

“We have to remember that they have top level players like Russell and Hogg, who are Scottish, and others are coming. It is clear then that being a small field they needed to draw from an overseas pool , but everyone did.

What is the difference between us and them on a technical level?

“He played Gregor Townsend (current national team manager, Ed) and on players at the end of their careers. Many former international players are now part of the Scottish federation and staff, with new faces emerging every year. In addition, Townsend worked for 5 years building a very distinctive team identity in Glasgow, and they later took a leap in quality by bringing him into the national team. They have a very dynamic system, here’s where the difference lies: they’re working to perfection, we’re still rebuilding, here’s the difference. But the situation has changed at the youth level. They struggle and we are competitors. Young teams also depend on the vintage.”

Is the priority to win under 20 or build full players to bring out the “big boys”?

“They are two different things. People got me excited when they beat England, but then they got 40 points over Ireland. The goal would be to give Zebre and Benetton to train the pool of guys as big as possible. Many pass through national championships, which is an excellent platform, but everyday life must be lived at the highest possible level. There are structural problems that prevent development, rather than expanding it”.

“There was no generational change: when the big names stopped, Italy suddenly became one of the youngest teams. There was no generation in between”, because we didn’t produce them. We focused heavily on the senior national team leaving basic rugby in the background. Furthermore, what I see from the outside is that each president takes a different path: there is a lack of consistency. What Scotland has adapted without making any changes, but we always build from scratch”.

What do you expect from Saturday’s match? How does this Scotland fight?

“In the meantime, it would be great to find the public again, and the new trophy dedicated to Massimo Cuttitta will make it possible to remember the history of this great character forever. Technically, when Scotland comes to Italy, it conflicts with: There is a little bit to the history of this match, partly because of the weather and partly because of the pressure they have to win. Then on a physical level this is the closest team to us, even though from an athletic point of view we are very different. Give confidence, because they will come to Rome to play every ball, they will go through stable phases but then they move up the oval. It is hard to win, very difficult, but it can be done: we have to raise the bar and be tiring Because we were in Murfield in 2015”.

Which victory was that?

“We weren’t starting favourites, but we knew we could play for it. I signed with Glasgow two weeks before the match and a lot of Scots who played there taunted me saying I would bench with them But we were diligent and we beat them with humility, while the Scots were arrogant.