No longer the team of Sergio Parisse, the Bergamasco brothers and Martin Castrogiovanni, Italy’s 21-year-old Italy scrumhalf Stephen Varney is a Gloucester graduate.
But from the moment his great grandfather, Carlo Fusconi, was captured during the second World War and sent to Wales, his rugby trajectory arced one way.
Fusconi was captured in North Africa, while serving in the Italian army, and brought to a prisoner of war camp, just outside Newcastle Emlyn, in west Wales.
At the time, prisoners were allowed to leave the camp to help on local farms. When the war ended, the free Italian soldier decided to settle in the locality continuing to work on the land. His wife Anita and daughter Adriana later arrived from the town of Cesana in Emilia Romagna.
Adriana later married Luigi Callegari, who had come to Wales from the Parma province along with his cousins to find employment. Their daughter Valeria is the mother of Italian scrumhalf Varney.
Serendipity across generations, today Varney finds himself paired with outhalf Paolo Garbisi as Italy similarly continue their journey through storied decades that have often flared up and been promising, but the nation have not been able to sink roots at the top end of the sport.
In recent years, the promise has become ambition. New names have come in and Italy are punching harder and more consistently. In 2016 Italy beat South Africa, then won against Wales in the 2022 Six Nations Championship; and in Florence last November defeated Australia by a point for the first time.
Now, Varney believes Italy can beat Ireland in Rome.
“Yeah, of course,” he says. “It has to come from the group believing we can win. So yeah.”
“We’ve changed the way we play and I think we are getting a lot of benefits from it. Hopefully we will get a win in the next couple of weeks. It was disappointing against France.
“We were close to beating them. Now Ireland this week are the best team in the world at the moment, so it will be tough. But we are going to go out there and believe that we can do it.”
Both coaches from Wales and Australia have been replaced since being beaten. It is as if being beaten by Italy is a benchmark for tier one nations of how far they have fallen, yet there is a new optimism energising the Italian team.
They see the recent outcomes against Wales and Australia as their rise, not the fall of their opponents and have become used to the offhand, baked-in arrogance.
Italy were unlucky against France, then showed up in Twickenham against England prompting Irish winger Mack Hansen to remark this week that the team has discovered an identity.
They have evolved from the forward-dominated, kick-heavy game to one that expansively explores the ability of the players that coach and former All Black World Cup winner, Kieran Crowley has chosen. Confidence, belief and technique that doesn’t break down is at its heart.
“It [optimism] comes from having a new crop of players coming through,” says Varney. “It also comes from the top down, Kieran installing the process we have. It helps having a young squad because we are very optimistic and we want to change things for Italian rugby.
“For me the differences are the skill set. One to 23 are very skilful. Obviously, we are not the biggest team in the tournament. But the forwards will go all day for us. They are not the biggest pack but they will keep working hard, which is what we need. All the boys are playing for the badge, which is what you want, that extra five or 10 per cent.”
The reality of Italy’s opening stretch in this year’s championship is they will have to face sides ranked six, two and one in the world and in the first two matches they have come out looking like they belonged.
But peeking in without being able to close the door by claiming the win when it appears available can be a debilitating process. It also gives opponents hope that when there are minutes on the clock against Italy, there is opportunity.
“In current form Ireland are the best team in the world. They have beaten all the other sides and against France were at another level,” says Varney.
“A success for us would be winning. To me anyway, success is about winning. You can’t just keep on getting close and not closing out games. Do that and your record is going to be loss, loss, loss. It’s important we realise that and believe that we can do it.
“We have a good coaching group here that keeps our heads strong, which is good. Yeah, maybe as a group that is frustrating. But I think we need to learn from those experiences and move on from what has happened.”
It was flanker Michele Lamaro who captained Italy to their first win after 36 defeats against Wales. His father Gianluca was a twice Olympic sailor and at 24-years-old Lamaro is, with Varney, Garbisi (22) fullback Ange Capuozzo (23), centre Tommaso Menoncello (20) lock Niccolò Cannone (24) and number 8 Lorenzo Cannone (22) a touchstone for their rewiring.
“He is a great player and a passionate player as well,” says Varney. “He cares a lot about it. That’s what you need as a captain.”
Opposite Craig Casey today, a Welsh-Italian scrumhalf will line up in Rome, perfectly at home.
