No. 8 - No. 8 (A Parisse Shaped Hole/Role)

Sergio Parisse. The best there ever was. Until the final whistle is blown at the end of the Six Nations there is still a chance that Italian scientist can create a form of time travel allowing Parisse's hair to return and more importantly allowing him to play for another decade. For this reason I will wait before pouring my heart out on how amazing Parisse's career has been. With Parisse only being available for the home games against Scotland and England I will focus on other options Italy have available at No. 8. 

Braam Steyn (Age: 27 Caps: 36)

Over the past few years Braam Steyn has established himself as the player to take on the No. 8 shirt in Parisse's absence. The South African born back rower has all the attributes to fit the role. He loves carrying the ball into contact, has made both Benetton and Italy one of the best line-out units in rugby and is Italy's chief player in terms of turnovers. With 36 caps under his belt Steyn has already established himself as a key player for Italy even if most of these were situated on the flank of the scrum. But with both Jake Polledri and Sebastian Negri's form deserving a place on the flanks it has become apparent that Italy's best back row involves Steyn playing at No. 8. For me there is no other option than starting with Negri, Pollderi and Steyn. I don't want to discredit Sergio Parrise in any way but I cannot wait to see this big ball carrying back row unleashed on the Six Nations. Parisse is a true hero and deserves to take on England & Scotland alone if that is what he wants, but for a few years now it has been too much of a battle on the flanks of the scrum with Negri, Polledri & Steyn's form deserving a starting place. We got a glimpse of what this back row partnership can do against Canada in the World Cup where as a unit they scored 2 tries, beat 22 defenders, made 197 metres & got 10 out of 10 for making me feel guilty for thinking Parisse should be dropped. Although it will be impossible to replace Parisse's influence on the team, in Steyn Italy have a player who can easily replace the technical aspects of Parisse's game.

Steyn has been one of Benetton's best players in recent years

Giovanni Licata (Age: 22 Caps: 8)

Pushing for a place at either 6, 7 or 8 is Zebre youngster Giovanni Licata. Licata is another one of these 22-year-olds in Italy who has made his way through the youth setup and is now pushing for an international place. Although much of his career has been situated on the flanks, this season has seen him flourish for Zebre at No. 8. He has been playing incredible rugby in the Pro14, leading the league's stats in terms of offloads (15) as well as carries (116). At the end of the World Cup it was thought that Parisse retirement would cure the headache Italy have had in selecting their back row, but with Licata's form peaking just before the Six Nations the headache will continue for Franco Smith (a headache he will be grateful for).

Renato Giammarioli (Age: 24 Caps: 4)

Another option Italy have if required is Licata's teammate at Zebre Renato Giammarioli. Although not picked in the initial Six Nations squad, Giammarioli provides another style of No. 8 if Franco Smith needs to change things up. Giammarioli might not be as strong as Steyn or Licata in the defensive aspect of the game but what he provides is an attacking outlet who can create tries out of nothing. He has a freakish amount of speed for a No. 8 and could be a great option on the bench to bring on when play becomes open towards the end of a game. The fact that Giammarioli has only amassed 4 caps shows how competitive the back row is for Italy. If he can stay fit and find some form with Zebre then it is likely he will quickly increase his cap tally and provide Italy with an exceptionally exciting player.

No one is going catch the big man