Italy’s attacking fulcrum Tommaso Menoncello provides a king-size threat to Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. The 23-year-old inside centre is one of the best in the world in his position and has been since breaking into Italy’s senior team as a teenager. Two years ago, he was voted Six Nations player of the tournament.
Menoncello’s regular midfield buddy Juan Ignacio Brex will miss Saturday’s game as the Argentinian-born player returns to Buenos Aires for family reasons with the blessing of head coach Gonzalo Quesada.
‘Brexoncello’ combined creatively for Italy’s first try against Scotland last weekend, with Menoncello carrying through the gainline before scrumhalf Alessandro Fusco’s decision to switch direction to the short-side and Brex’s inch-perfect grubber kick enabled Louis Lynagh to win the race and slide over the line.
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In the absence of Brex, Leonardo Marin switches from fullback to midfield. Based on his time with Benetton he’s likely to play at inside centre with Menoncello moving out a place. Marin is familiar with the outhalf and fullback roles, highlighting a capacity to slip in as a second playmaker alongside outhalf Paolo Garbisi.
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Key for Quesada in setting up his team will be not to diminish Menoncello’s influence. His numbers at the Stadio Olimpico, which resembled a swimming pool last weekend, were off the charts. In just six carries he made 103 metres, crossed the gainline four times, beat four defenders and made two clean breaks.
His try was a product of in-game intelligence. Menoncello can often be found frequently hugging the touchline. His pace and size make him a formidable adversary in a one-on-one confrontation. On this occasion, it was a beautiful cut-out pass that gave him the freedom of Rome and an unencumbered run to the try line.
Ireland will be all too familiar with his prowess, the most recent example coming in last year’s game when he caused havoc. Menoncello beat nine defenders, made 77 metres, and won two turnovers, highlighting another facet of the game where he’s difficult to shift – the breakdown.
More than anyone he kept the Italians motoring before Ireland escaped with a 22-17 victory. It’s likely he’ll mix and match with Marin, particularly with offset plays. Tracking Menoncello in real time will provide a clue as to what Italy are trying to do in attack at any given moment.
There was a suggestion that Ange Capuozzo would be fit, having recovered from a fractured finger sustained while playing for Toulouse in December, but he didn’t make the matchday 23. However, the visitors have pace on the wings and more to come in replacement Paolo Odogwu.
Lorenzo Pani swaps the bench for the fullback role. At 6′4, he is a formidable presence in the air, as is right wing Lynagh, as he demonstrated so capably in a pivotal moment for Menoncello’s try against Scotland last Saturday. Under Quesada, there is a greater variety to Italy’s kicking game, with grubbers, chips and cross-field punts more prevalent.
Italy will have noted the joy France got in dominating the aerial duels last week, but also the way the French were able to breach the Irish defence in the wider channels. Quesada’s side did a fair amount of that themselves against Ireland in Rome last season.
Monty Ioane, a try scorer that day, has caused Ireland trouble in the past. On Saturday, the Australian-born winger will reacquaint himself with his former landlord, James Lowe.
In 2015, Ioane moved to Waikato-based Super Rugby team the Chiefs as cover for Lowe, who was recovering from a shoulder injury. With the then 19-year-old needing somewhere to stay he secured a room in Lowe’s house, along with several of his academy team-mates.
Italy will also go after Ireland’s lineout – having stolen four throws against the Scots – and scrum. And while they were once traditional and linear strengths, the way Italy play under Quesada is more rounded and nuanced, particularly in attack where they are not hugely dissimilar to France in looking to push turnovers and transition the ball out wide.
A key point for the visitors will be discipline. It’s cause them to come undone in the past and nearly did so last week. But if they smarten up in that area, and given reasonable weather conditions, Italy will ask lots of hard questions.
