Italy will straggle — Seear

Press, 15 April 1980, Page 46

Italy will straggle — Seear

PA Dunedin Italy is likely to struggle to gain a 50 per cent success record when it makes its first rugby tour of. New Zealand later this season, according to a former All Black, Gary Seear. Seear, who played in 34 games, including 12 tests, for New Zealand between 1976 and last year, has some penetrating observations to make about Italian rugby in a letter home. He is just about to complete a season of rugby for the Italian first division club, Fracasso San Dona, an,d he and his wife Julie, plan to remain overseas until next year.

“The actual standard of the competition is probably equal to our own club competition at home but the main difference is their mental approach,” Seear wrote. “For example, when playing away from home you are seldom expected to win unless you are one of the top teams and, even then, they don’t perform very well. “We played against L’Aquila, one of the top four teams in the first round, and lost, 9-50, away from home. When we met them at home in the second round we beat them, 17-9.

“It is typical for teams in the competition to play very well one week but to play

equally poorly the next. “This, to me, is caused by their mental approach towards the game. For this reason alone the Italian team to tour New Zealand later this year will be lucky to come away with better than a 50 per cent record.” Italy will play five matches in New Zealand. Its itinerary is: v. Nelson Bays, Nelson, June 21; Wairarapa Bush, Masterton, June 25; v. Taranaki, New Plymouth, June 28; v. Horowhfenua, Levin, July 2; v. Junior All Blacks, Auckland, July 5.

“I don’t think the closeness of the score when the All Blacks played Italy ■ at the end of their tour to Scotland and England should even come into consid-

eration. In Italy’s next match it was beaten, 43-9, by a French selection. The French A team was playing in a Five Nations game on the same day. “Many other reasons come to mind why the .Italian squad will find it difficult in New Zealand. “One is the mere fact that Italy will be touring the same country as the All Blacks come from, because they consider the All Blacks the best in the world. “The problems of touring a totally different country, the different style of play they will come up against, plus the different law interpretations may also cause them difficulties,” Seear wrote.