All Blacks humbling won’t define Italy: Crowley

Dino Lamb of Italy is tackled by All Black Brodie Retallick during their Rugby World cup pool clash at Lyon.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Coach Kieran Crowley says Italy will be focused on process not outcome in their final pool game against France as they look to revive their World Cup campaign after last week’s crushing loss to the All Blacks.

The Azzurri could still qualify for the quarter-finals out of Pool A with a win over the tournament hosts at OL Stadium on Friday and Crowley said he was convinced they had “moved on” from the 96-17 loss to New Zealand.

“One bad performance doesn’t define you so we very quickly put it behind us,” he told reporters after naming his team.

“We’re looking forward to a chance this week to at least give a performance that puts a little bit more respect and credibility into (the team).”

Stephen Varney said the players had held a ceremony this week where they each wrote down their thoughts about the New Zealand debacle on a piece of paper and tossed them into a firepit.

“I think it was a good way of forgetting about it and moving on,” the Wales-born scrumhalf said.

Crowley took blame for the loss, saying the players had been coached to focus more on the results of their efforts rather than on the individual steps they needed to take to be competitive.

“Last week on reflection, it’s probably bad coaching on my behalf, I think we lost the process,” he added.

“We looked more at outcome rather than process, so that was disappointing from my perspective, and this week we’ve gone back to process.”

Crowley made five personnel changes to his team for the clash against a France team they took down to the wire in a 29-24 Six Nations loss in Rome in February.

Livewire outside back Ange Capuozzo moved from wing to fullback, with Tommaso Allan returning at flyhalf and Paolo Garbisi coming in at inside centre to give Italy two playmakers.

Hooker Hame Faiva and prop Pietro Ceccarelli will make their first starts of the tournament in an all-new front row along with loosehead Simone Ferrari. Faiva takes over from Giacomo Nicotera, who took a head knock against the All Blacks, while tighthead Ceccarelli comes in for Marco Riccioni, who drops to the bench.

Ferrari replaces Danilo Fischetti, who left the squad on Sunday because of injury. Niccolo Cannone replaces lock Dino Lamb, another player injured in the New Zealand game.

Any sort of win for Italy on Friday should be enough to reach the knockout stage for the first time, unless they allow France to pick up both attacking and losing bonus points.

Lucu starts for France

Meanwhile, Maxime Lucu will start at halfback to deputise for Antoine Dupont as coach Fabien Galthie stuck with his premium side to face Italy.

PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 18: Antoine Dupont of France runs with the ball during the Six Nations Rugby match between France and Wales at Stade de France on March 18, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Photo: Eurasia Sport Images / Getty Images

Lucu will pair up with Bordeaux-Begles club partner, first five-eighth Matthieu Jalibert, as Les Bleus look to wrap up top spot in the group and set up a potential quarter-final clash with defending champions South Africa, who are widely expected to end up second in Pool B behind Ireland.

Should they lose without picking up two bonus points, France will be eliminated and the Azzurri would go through, and Les Bleus are well aware that Italy will not look anything like the side who were destroyed 96-17 by New Zealand last week.

“They’re a Latin team and they’re wounded. That’s when things get dangerous. We have to be very careful because they will have nothing to lose,” Galthie told a press conference on Wednesday, saying France were now in the “knockout phase” of the tournament.

“We played them in Rome last year in the Six Nations and it was a very tough test,” he added, referring to France’s 29-24 victory.

“We’re expecting Italy to be completely different than against New Zealand,” flanker Charles Ollivon said.

“We debriefed out game against them in the Six Nations and did not look too much into what they’ve done against New Zealand. It will be very physical in the first 20 minutes and they will not miss as many tackles as against the All Blacks.”

Dupont was ruled out of the game after fracturing his cheekbone in a head-to-head clash during France’s 96-0 win against Namibia and the 26-year-old only made his return to the squad at the weekend, resuming light training as he awaits the green light from his surgeon to start playing rugby again.

The only other change from the team who started against Namibia is Gregory Alldritt returning to take the number eight shirt after nursing a minor knee injury, forming the third row with captain Ollivon and Anthony Jelonch, who was again preferred to Francois Cros.

France team:

15-Thomas Ramos, 14-Damian Penaud, 13-Gael Fickou, 12-Jonathan Danty, 11-Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10-Matthieu Jalibert, 9-Maxime Lucu, 7-Charles Ollivon, 8-Gregory Alldritt, 6-Anthony Jelonch, 5-Thibaud Flament, 4-Cameron Woki, 3-Uini Atonio, 2- Peato Mauvaka, 1-Cyril Baille.

Replacements: 16-Pierre Bourgarit, 17-Reda Wardi, 18-Dorian Aldegheri, 19-Romain Taofifenua, 20-Francois Cros, 21-Baptiste Couilloud, 22-Yoram Moefana, 23-Melvyn Jaminet.

Italy team:

15-Ange Capuozzo, 14-Pierre Bruno, 13-Juan Ignacio Brex, 12-Paolo Garbisi, 11-Montanna Ioane, 10-Tommaso Allan, 9-Stephen Varney, 8-Lorenzo Cannone, 7-Michele Lamaro (captain), 6-Sebastian Negri, 5-Federico Ruzza, 4-Niccolo Cannone, 3-Pietro Ceccarelli, 2-Hame Faiva, 1-Simone Ferrari

Replacements: 16-Marco Manfredi, 17-Federico Zani, 18-Marco Riccioni, 19-David Sisi, 20-Manuel Zuliani, 21-Alessandro Fusco, 22-Luca Morisi, 23-Lorenzo Pani.

– Reuters