Intervista a Bortolami su Planet Rugby.

[JPR]

Planet Rugby intervista i capitani delle nazionali partecipanti al 6 nazioni..si parte col nostro Bortolami...

Bortolami: 'Our target must be to win games away from home'
With the Six Nations upon us, we put six questions to each of the captains. Here, Italy skipper Marco Bortolami faces the firing line.

Q: We're just days away from the Six Nations, how are things in the Italian camp?
A: We are really looking forward to this tournament. We had some encouraging performances against Australia and Argentina in November so the squad is feeling confident. Most of the physical and technical work is done now, and it is a question of focusing on our mental preparation.

Q: How do you think your boys will fare this season?
A: We play France, Wales and Ireland at home this time. Three difficult games, but we hope to win at least one. Why can't we? The days when teams used to come here and go away with a big win are gone, we can now compete with the best. We should have beaten Scotland last year [13-10 in Rome], then we got a [18-18] draw in Cardiff. We have a little way to go but our target must be to win games away from home and not finish bottom.

Q: You have lost some big games by narrow margins in the last couple of seasons - is that frustrating or is it a sign of how far Italy has come?
A: We can take positives from all our performances - last year we didn't win but went close, and it was another experience for us. Certainly, we still need to improve things, but now we have a lot of faith in ourselves. If we have a bit of luck on our side, I'm sure we can make some of the big teams sweat - like we did against Australia. There is not a big gap between winning and losing and we understand what we have to do.

Q: And what is it that you have to do?
A: We have to take every opportunity and make the right decisions. The most important thing is that we must be competitive for the whole 80 minutes of every game. If we can use our experience from the English Premiership and the French championship, the two best competitions in Europe, this could be our time.

Q: First up for Italy is France in Rome - is that the game you would have wanted?
A: I think it will be a very interesting game. It will need a great performance from everyone but we have got a good chance. It could be a turning point for us. We are always at our best in the first game of the tournament. That's when we are fresh and free of injuries. We have a small pool of top players and usually find it hard to maintain a high level of performance.

Q: How do you rate the opposition?
A: France and Ireland have to be the two favourites for this year's tournament. But we can't forget England, they are a bit out of form at present, but don't forget they are the world champions, and they also have a few great individual players in their ranks. Those three teams are well balanced and have no real weaknesses. Then there is Wales. They are coming from some bad form last year but they still have some very good players. The Scottish didn't shine in the November Test matches, but they were outstanding in the last Six Nations. Now is the time to win a few games and personally I'm looking forward to playing against England at Twickenham.

[astronaut84]

Penso che migliorando gioco e rendimento in trasferta e credendo nei propri mezzi, l'Italia possa fare davvero un ottimo 6 Nazioni quest'anno.
Forza azzurri!