Italy brace for ‘sore loser’ Scotland in Six Nations opener
NEWS: Gonzalo Quesada has braced his Italy side for a laser-focused Scotland to pitch up in Rome for Saturday’s Six Nations opener.
The Azzurri head coach admitted a Stadio Olimpico showdown with the wounded Scots would not have been his preferred choice to kick off the championship.
Gregor Townsend’s side lost on their previous visit to the Eternal City two years ago, while they have also come under fire after a disappointing autumn campaign in which they lost their two showpiece November Tests at home to New Zealand and Argentina despite being in strong positions in both.
“I don’t know if it’s the ideal game because Scotland lost a couple of games they shouldn’t lose,” said Quesada ahead of his third Six Nations in charge of Italy.
“They played amazing rugby against the All Blacks and Argentina, but they finish losing. And I think that will increase the level of focus they’re going to have.
“They also lost two years ago in Italy, so it’s a must-win in Rome. So I think we’re going to have a really tough, determined Scottish team coming to Rome.
“Honestly, because we don’t have a lot of time with the Italian team together, I like it when we start away, because that takes away a bit of pressure.
“Playing away is a little bit less pressure, and it would give us an extra week preparing for the first game at home. It’s not going to be a lot of training sessions before playing Scotland, but it is what it is, and we’re going to be ready.”
Italy have had some eye-catching results under Quesada, including a draw in France in 2024 plus victories over Scotland, Wales and Australia, but the Argentine acknowledged it remains difficult for them to compete consistently over the course of a campaign.
“We’ve been improving, but not with total consistency, so I think the main goal is to find that consistency of being able to really compete at a good level against the five rivals we’re going to have, even if they are all a bit in front of us,” he said.
“We know that we cannot have our only goal as winning because we are a bit behind some of the teams. It’s going to be tough if we only think about results as a goal.
“So we want to defend with a lot of Latin passion and play some exciting attacking rugby that will make our fans proud of us. That’s what we’re looking for.
“We want to win more, of course. But we know the path is to be more consistent.”
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