Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada said increased self-belief and discipline were key to his team’s strong second-half showing against the Springboks on Saturday — as was the contribution of the ‘Grenade Squad’, Italy’s answer to South Africa’s famed Bomb Squad.
The Azzurri lost the Test match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria 42-24 but received plaudits for a gritty second-half performance against the world champions, having pulled within 11 points with 10 minutes to play.
The coach said he was proud of the effort from his youthful squad.
“No one is really happy after a defeat, but I’m really proud of the team today. I have a huge number of reasons to be proud of them,” Quesada said, during his post-match media conference.
“It was a really tough week for the team with a lot of injuries, a lot of changes, and a lot of things we couldn’t control that didn’t go our way. But the team never lost focus.”
Italy’s touring squad is a young one, with several senior players rested following the Six Nations. Quesada admitted that the lack of international experience showed early on.
“In the first half, we made some mistakes because we struggled — we had so many guys with less experience playing against this Springbok squad at home. In the second half, we released a bit of pressure and it was better,” he said.
“With the ball, I think we didn’t believe enough in ourselves. We didn’t try enough or respect the things we had prepared. So we worked on building belief in the players, helping them realise they could do much better and match that intensity.”
He added that they had also emphasised improved defensive discipline, after conceding easy penalties in the first half that gave the Boks entry into the 22.
Captain Niccolò Cannone, the experienced second-rower, was praised for leading the second-half turnaround. Italy had trailed 28-3 at the break. Cannone was among the try-scorers for the visitors, alongside Manuel Zuliani and Pablo Dimcheff.
“A lot of the credit goes to the captain and the leaders for the incredible way they handled the second half. We had our ‘Grenade Squad’ that did pretty well,” Quesada said with a laugh.
“The team that started the second half did well. The bench all brought something, even though for some of them it was their first match for the national team. The key thing was discipline and believing a little bit more in ourselves.”
The Springboks struggled in the lineouts, and the Azzurri also enjoyed success at the breakdown. Quesada was asked whether this had been a specific target going into the match.
“We knew we needed to take as much space and time away from them as we could. It was their first Test of the year, so with a bit of luck, we thought that if we disrupted their rhythm, they might not be as fluid as they usually are.
“We’re a team that normally has less possession than the opposition, so we are more used to defending. We have excellent jackals in the squad, and it’s something we work on regardless of the opponent,” he revealed.
“It was all about effort and commitment. We talk a lot about that.
“(Sunday), we had 17 players who usually start that were not here. So, it was important to be brave and confident in each other — to commit to a big defensive game. I’m so proud of the team.”
The Azzurri mentor now braces for a Springbok backlash in next weekend’s second Test in Gqeberha.
