Fullback - No.15 (The Lonely Wanderers)

Matteo Minozzi & Jayden Hayward 
collide during their 48-7 win against
Canada - 2019

It has been a long time since Italy produced a fullback of their own. In more recent years Kiwi Jayden Hayward has filled the spot gallantly just like Australian Luke McLean did before him. Going back further we had Andrea Masi who was really just a centre playing at fullback (post a brief stint at fly-half during the dark days). Before Masi it was Frenchman David Bortolussi and it is not until we reach 2007 that we have Ezio Galon (now part of the Benetton Coaching setup), remembered fondly for his try in Cardiff that helped Italy to a 18-18 draw against Wales. With this in mind, it gives me great pleasure that going into the new decade Italy not only have a star player in Matteo Minozzi, but also a host of other talents competing for the No.15 shirt.

Matteo Minozzi (Age: 23 Caps: 16)

Minozzi had a great World Cup especially against Canada where his defensive game looked to have caught up with his attack. But with his heavily strapped legs I got the impression that he wasn't back to full fitness. After missing the entire 2018/19 season with Zebre (knee injury) it was a big ask for him to re-enter the national setup at the peak of his ability, but he still ended the tournament with 2 tries from 3 games. His move to Wasps is going to expose him to a much higher standard of play but his 2 tries so far suggest he is adjusting well to life at the Ricoh Arena. Despite a number of Italian players having great careers in England (Martin Castrogiavanni, Carlos Nieto & Marco Bortalami) it is always a worry that the step up in competition, change of culture and language barrier will cause Italian players to drift into the background at their clubs and lose vital game time. 

In recent years I have always gotten excited when an Italian player decides to test themselves with a move abroad. Back in the early 2010s a young Tommaso Benvenuti was seen as the next star of Italian rugby. After some amazing performances for Benetton (in the then Heineken Cup) he was exposed to some of the top teams in Europe. Most memorable being his performance against Leicester where it looked like he was going to win the game by himself. In the end he moved to France and joined a brilliant Perpignan team. After a relatively successful first season he was on the move again, this time to Bristol in English rugby's second tier. After making only 10 appearances for Bristol, 2016 saw Benvenuti move back home to Benetton where he has had a renascence and played a crucial role in the clubs improvements. But the promise shown in his early years makes you think of what could've been if he had spent his peak years playing regular rugby in Italy. A similar story occurred a few years later with the powerful yet elegant winger Leonardo Sarto. After 4 impressive seasons with Zebre, Sarto made the move to an attack minded Glasgow Warriors team coached by Gregor Townsend. His time at the club started brilliantly with 9 tries in 18 appearances. Unfortunately injuries were to blame for a long spell out and he was unable to fight his way back into the team. A spell in the Scottish Premiership along with 4 appearances for Leicester Tigers pre-empted a return to Italy with once rivals Benetton. Again it is painful to think what could've been if Sarto had spent the peak of his career playing regularly in Italy (where the climate and culture definitely would've prevented any injuries). All of this leaves me worried that Minozzi's move to Wasps will result in another Italian star losing their peak years to the draw of playing outside of Italy. An outlier of this trend is Michele Campagnaro who has had a good time in the Guinness Premiership. After moving to Exeter from Benetton in 2015 he quickly become a fan favourite and spent 3 seasons with the Devonshire club. Despite consistent performances he was slowly squeezed out of the first team and was eventually let go to reduce Exeter's salary expenditure. Unlike the players previously mentioned Campagnaro's performances were enough for him to be snapped up by another premiership club - Wasps. During his time at Wasps it was notable how much his game had evolved. After his breakthrough in Italy he was a sleight centre who's running lines made him one of the few Italian backs who had a knack of scoring exceptional tries out of nothing. Now he is much more of a powerhouse ball carrier who looks to break tackles in the early phases of possession. This is why I was so excited when I heard that Minozzi and Campagnaro were to be playing for Wasps together. I thought Campagnaro's presence would help Minozzi settle into the club and prove valuable to his development. Unfortunately soon after Minozzi's move it was announced that Campagnaro was to move again within the premiership to Harlequins. Despite all my worries, Minozzi's early performances have been promising and his playing style suits how Wasps are looking to play the game. He will undoubtedly be crucial to the Italian setup for many years to come but don't be surprised if he sometimes features on the wing rather than his preferred position of fullback. 

Eduardo Padovani (Age: 26 Caps: 24) 

Zebre's loss of Minozzi is no bad thing for the national team. His move has given Eduardo Padovani the opportunity to stamp his claim as Zebre's first choice fullback. Due to the talent pool available at fullback, Padovani has been used by the national team as a utility player (mostly on the wing as well as fly-half during more of the dark days). Despite this I still see him best used at fullback as his broken play running and last ditch tackling are deceptively good. He had a positive Six Nations last year as Italy's top try scorer (3), albeit all relatively simple finishes. For the more devoted fans of Italian rugby it will feel like Padovani has been around for some time. He has been playing first team rugby since 2012, firstly in Serie A with Mogliano Rugby before a move to Zebre 2 years later. He then had a brief spell with Toulon before returning back to Zebre in 2017. Despite this he is only 26 and you feel he still has a lot of rugby left in him. Increased game time and more responsibility in Minozzi's absence can only lead to more improvements in his game.

Jayden Hayward (Age: 32 Caps: 23) 

Despite a disappointing World Cup there was one upside for the Italians as Jayden Hayward won Worlds Hottest Rugby Player (narrowly beating Dan Cole and Samson Lee). Since he was granted Italian citizenship in 2017 Hayward has played a pivotal role in Conor O'Shea's plans. Teams in the past have often been able to overwhelm the Italian side by pinning them back with an effective kicking game. Conor O'Shea brought Hayward in to counter this and it is, much like Rob Kearney for Ireland, his unseen work without the ball that makes him such an important player for both the national side and Benetton. His ability to read the game and counter an opponents kicking game has helped Italy move towards a more open attacking game that Conor O'Shea so desperately wanted. All of this made it even more strange to see him twice picked at centre during the World Cup. It might have been that this choice was made by O'Shea once it had become clear that the World Cup was going to be won or lost depending on a teams ability to deal with their opponents box kicking. Even if this was the case against South Africa it would seem like this tactic was one of damage limitation which O'Shea had always been against. If Italy are going to start competing against top teams like South Africa then they are unlikely to win with a fullback in the centres and two centres on the wings. At the age of 32 Hayward is towards the end of his career and it is likely that a match fit Minozzi will be first choice at fullback. This isn't to say that he hasn't got a part to play with the Italian team. What I am keen to see from Hayward is the impact he has on the development of Benetton teammate Luca Sperandio. Anyone who has seen Sperandio play in the Pro14 will know of the overwhelming potential he has. With only 44 first class appearances for Benetton he has already amassed 55 points and at the age of 23 has his peak years ahead of him. Despite rarely getting a consistent run of starts, due to Hayward, Sperandio has provided some amazing performances during his formative years. His hat-trick against Edinburgh in 2018 proved his ability as a try scorer and many Italian fans wonder why he has only amassed 4 international caps. His slight frame and ability to wriggle out of tackles reminds me of a young Liam Williams. I hope that while he is not getting as many games as he would like, he is learning as an understudy to Hayward and can step out of his shadow in a season or two. Playing full back in an attacking Benetton team will inevitably raise Sperandio's profile and if he keeps scoring tries at his current rate then it will not be long before he is knocking at the door of the Italy squad, putting even more pressure on the likes of Minozzi. 

Italy will have one further option at fullback which is Zebre's 21-year-old Michelangelo Biondelli. Although he is an exciting fullback I think that he will most likely be used as cover at fly-half during the upcoming championship and I will therefore cover him in my post on Italy's fly-halves. This is all good news for the Italian setup. There has never been a time I can remember when an Italian coach has had such depth of choice at fullback. Minozzi is undoubtedly one of Italy's brightest talents and after missing out on last years championship hopes will be high for some impressive performances.