The footage of Tadhg Furlong and Dan Sheehan being unceremoniously tossed into the air by the Italian scrum caught the attention of England’s analysts.
Ireland’s legendary prop and powerhouse hooker were ‘given their wings’ in round two of the Six Nations as Italy’s small but mighty pack announced themselves as heavyweight contenders.
‘When you see an opposition tighthead three feet off the ground and that tighthead happens to be one of the best to have played the game in recent years, it lays down a bit of a statement,’ said England lock Ollie Chessum.
Tensions are high in the England camp as they try to end their two-game losing run and avoid defeat by Italy for the first time ever. They will be facing one of the best-drilled Italian teams of all time, with their 36-game Six Nations losing run now far in the rear-view mirror and having beaten Scotland in Rome on the opening weekend.
And the resurgence and threat all stems from the Azzurri‘s set-piece.
Their cohesion up front has been years in the making, with scrum coach Andrea Moretti following the forwards on Italy’s development pathway since they were schoolboys. He put a team of teenage boys into Italy’s top flight and the investment is now coming to fruition.
Dan Sheehan (centre) is hoisted into the air by Italy’s powerful scrum in Dublin, while Tadhg Furlong (18) was next to be ‘given his wings’
Scotland also felt the full force of the Azzurri pack, which laid the foundations for an 18-15 home win in Rome on the opening weekend of the Six Nations
‘We put a project in place after the golden eras of Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni,’ Moretti tells Daily Mail Sport. ‘The federation knew something had to change but you need patience and belief to develop new talent. Now 12 out of our 18 forwards come from the pathway.
‘I’ve been working with these boys for at least eight or nine years. When I was with the Under 20s, our team was playing in the second division of the national championship.
‘They had to face some old Italian players, front-rows who play some tricks, and they had to learn how to solve the problems. It was tough, but you could see the change to their physique and psychology after three months.
‘It’s been quite a unique journey to find each other again back at the national level. Bonds are important and seeing all the effort they have made to become international players makes me proud.’
Italy’s scrum has won penalties against the strongest packs in the Six Nations. They have an impressive depth of front-row forwards and it was their replacement loosehead, Mirco Spagnolo, who delivered the humiliating blow to Furlong. It was the result of years of hard work.
‘I’ve known Mirco since he came to the national academy when he was 18,’ Moretti adds. ‘He comes from a remote little town called Camposampiero, near Padova.
‘He was a bit raw but he was a good boy who loved scrums. He’s from a genuine village where people speak with their heart and it’s impossible not to love them.
‘That day obviously went well but he didn’t like all the memes that went on Furlong after that. Spagnolo had a chance to get under Furlong and instead of releasing the pressure, the Ireland lock James Ryan pushed too much and he went up in the air.
Mirco Spagnolo destroyed Ireland’s Lions prop Tadhg Furlong at the scrum – ‘he’s from a genuine village where people speak with their heart and it’s impossible not to love them’
‘That was one scrum but those moments come from work that started four or five years ago. It doesn’t come out of the blue. Five years ago, we sat down and said we wanted to develop a scrum that could give clear pictures to the referee.
‘We were young and inexperienced, without the skills and physicality to dominate other scrums. Slowly, year after year, the boys have developed.
‘We have two key principles: height and balance. To prepare the scrum properly you need balance – control from the first row to the third row.
‘And we generate more power by pushing low. I’m sure England have similar principles. Because the boys have known each other for many years, we do everything together at the same time.’
Moretti is close friends with Springbok scrum coach, Daan Human. He spent 10 days with the ‘scrum doctor’ Mike Cron in New Zealand before the World Cup and often shares notes with the Italian jiu-jitsu team at the Olympic Centre in Rome.
‘We are not the biggest pack,’ says Moretti. ‘I check in on the jiu-jitsu to see how we can develop our core, lower back and biomechanics to help with pushing. We are one of the smallest packs but we click together. Our power has improved, our weight has improved.
‘When I joined the national team, Danilo Fischetti was 103kg. Simone Ferrari was 112kg. Giacomo Nicotera was 100kg. Spagnolo was 110kg. Each one of those players has put on at least five or six kilos of good weight. Fischetti is now 113 kg.
‘They have the right food, the right supplements. We might have one night where we go out and eat pizza but they are very disciplined. They are proud of their work ethic.’
Danilo Fischetti, who stripped to his underpants to sign autographs after the Ireland game, has put on 10 kilos in recent years
England’s last visit to Rome two years ago ended in a tense 27-24 win – the closest Italy have ever come to beating them
Italy’s performances are winning over the Roman public. Footballing legends Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti have both shared words of encouragement to the team who are no longer the Six Nations’ favourites for the wooden spoon.
Since the last World Cup, Italy have won four and drawn one of their 13 Six Nations matches, and beating England would put them in pole position for their first ever three-win campaign.
They have one of the world’s best centres in Tommaso Menoncello and a breakdown specialist in Manuel Zuliani, who has won more turnovers than any other Tier One player in the last 12 months.
Combined with Italy’s slow-cooked scrum, England will have their work cut out in Rome this weekend.
