image source, Getty Images
Welsh-born scrum-half Stephen Varney qualified for Italy through his maternal grandparents
|
Guinness Six Nations: Italy vs England |
|---|
|
venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome date: Saturday, February 3rd kick off: 14:15 GMT |
|
coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra. Live text on the BBC Sport website and app. Watch live on ITV |
If perennial underdogs Italy are to beat England for the first time, they will need to match England’s physicality, Azururi scrum-half Stephen Varney says.
Italy begin their Six Nations campaign in Rome on Saturday after losing all of their last 30 games against England.
“We expect England to be coming at us quite a bit with their defensive line speed, so our skill set will be important to get past them,” Varney said.
“They have a kicking game and strong set pieces.”
Italy lost 1,197 points to England on 356 points, but Gloucester’s No. 9 Varney believes the Class of 2024 will set a new benchmark in Italian rugby under the guidance of new head coach Gonzalo Quesada. Stated.
“Our ambition is to be the best Italian team of all time,” the 22-year-old, who was born in Wales but qualified for Italy through his grandparents, told BBC Sport.
“It’s a big challenge for our forward group, but if we can match them physically, our attack will work and we’ll score a lot of tries.
“Our offense has been very strong the last two years. We want Gonazlo to come in and attack with the speed of the ball. This is huge for us.”
The Azzurri won two of five games in 2007 and 2013, but have won the wooden spoon in the past eight years.
“Italy won twice, in 2007 and 2013, and our goal is to surpass them. We want to show a satisfactory performance and hope that the results will reflect naturally,” said Bench. Varney, who will start, added: .
“We have to take it week by week and try to win every game, starting with the England game.”
Varney has won 24 caps since making his debut against Scotland aged 19 in 2020 and says he has gained more confidence since breaking onto the international stage as a teenager.
“I was quite young in my first Six Nations and obviously confidence is important when you play at this level, but I’ve been working on it mentally,” he added.
“You always prepare yourself physically, but I think it’s really important to prepare mentally, especially for the high-pressure games that are coming up.”