Superpowers & genius - Italy's 'Brexoncello' take aim at England

BBC News

06-03-2025

Men's Six Nations: England v ItalyDate: Sunday, 9 March Kick-off: 15:00 GMT Venue: Allianz Stadium, TwickenhamCoverage: Live audio commentary via the BBC Sport website and app
Brexit, Brangelina, Barbieheimer. And Brexoncello?If only true cultural phenomena get a cut-and-shut shorthand, Italy's midfield is on to something special.Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello are a classic buddy-cop pairing.Brex, 32, born in Argentina, has come halfway around the world to put his wily hands and gainline nous at Italy's disposal.Menoncello is a younger gun, born a decade later and brought up in the rugby heartland of Treviso. His battering-ram running and energy have scrambled the most organised of defences.Their partnership has become something of a meme.Benetton Treviso, their club side, posted a video of the pair lifting weights together, external, accompanied by a heart emoji and one word: 'Brexoncello'.Flip to January in Treviso's charity calendar for this year and there they are again, posing topless together with a rehomed dog., externalBut you still see it best on the pitch.Eleven days ago, 11 minutes into their meeting with France at the Stadio Olimpico, was a textbook example; Brex luring the defence on to him, slipping a pass and Menoncello rampaging through for a score from 40 metres out."He is fantastic to play with," Menoncello tells BBC Sport of Brex. "He is a genius with his little passes, he is famous for them and it is very difficult to defend.""He is younger, he is faster, he brings every physical part of the game," says Brex, repaying the compliments."Maybe I am more the playmaker, and he is more the creator and finisher. That is why we work together on the pitch, we have different characteristics."
Menoncello, a promising footballer who played against Juventus' youth team before his sporting interests turned oval, used to watch Brex from the stands.He was 18 when he got a close-up view, having been called into Treviso's senior side as injury cover."'Nacho' was the first guy to bring me into the squad and he has always brought me under his wing," recalls Menoncello.For his part, Brex remembers the impression the teenage Menoncello left on his new, older colleagues."Everyone just said 'wow'. He was like he is now. We realised he can do super things, he has superpowers. It was really exciting."They have been inseparable ever since.Since Menoncello recovered from a shoulder injury that kept him out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, they have been the starting centre combination for 13 of Italy's subsequent 14 games.They fill the same spots for their club, greasing their combination to a slick shine."We are together in training, in the dressing room, at backs sessions, in the gym," says Brex. "Maybe I spend more time with him than with my family! That's the truth!"That proximity is part of Italy's power. They have fewer players, but also fewer club patterns to unpick.Brex and Menoncello are two of 16 Treviso players in Italy's Six Nations squad."I know him as a player and person much better than if I had to play with a guy from another club," says Brex."It is not the same feeling as playing with the person you meet every single day - that is a good part of our game."Brex and Menoncello see the same strength in another portmanteau midfield: 'Huwipulotu', otherwise known as Glasgow and Scotland first-choice centres Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones.Menoncello broke out of the collective last year though, becoming only the second Italian to win the Six Nations player of the tournament award."I want to prove myself and prove to the world that I can be at that level and can further improve my game," he says."It is hard though. For sure, there is more attention on me, I see the teams defending me, watching me, expecting those runs."
One columnist said Brex would have been a worthier winner of the individual award, external. They have both seen the article. Menoncello agrees with it. Brex doesn't ."It is all him," says Brex. "He deserves it 100%, he is the difference and I told him before the Six Nations that I will work for him so he can fight for it again."The award was recognition of a superb 2024 campaign by Italy, in which they beat both Wales and Scotland and drew with France.This year has not been as good. Italy have played those same three teams in the opening three rounds, beating Wales, but suffering an away defeat by Scotland and a walloping at home to France."We want to change our picture," says Brex of the underdogs' standing among the Six Nations. "Maybe they respect us a little bit more, but not like we want, it still drives us."This weekend takes Brex and Menoncello to Twickenham, where they will be opposite an untested England centre combination of Fraser Dingwall and Ollie Lawrence.Menoncello memorably describes Allianz Stadium as "the temple of rugby", but Italy are no longer a straightforward sacrifice for the hosts.Brex and Menoncello played excellently in a narrow 27-24 defeat in Rome when the teams last met.If they get ball on the front foot, they can cause damage once again.And this might the final chance for prime Brexoncello to leave a lasting imprint on Twickenham.Menoncello's contract with Treviso runs out at the end of next season. He will likely leave for a club in France's Top 14 when it does. His partnership with Brex may well continue for Italy, but the day-to-day connection will be lost."If one day I don't play with him every day, it is OK," says Brex. "He has to grow, that's the truth. As long as he is happy, I am happy."If their one-two midfield punch lands right on Sunday, Brex, Menoncello and their Italy team-mates might all be very happy indeed.