Latest news with #GonzaloQuesada
Reuters
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Angry Quesada rues Italian discipline in narrow loss to Ireland
ROME, March 15 (Reuters) - Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada was angry at his side's self-inflicted wounds in their 22-17 loss to Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday after two yellow cards and a red for the hosts left them outnumbered for much of the game. Italy were brave in defence and had incisive moments in attack, but endured a 20-minute red card for Ross Vintcent and yellows for Michele Lamaro and Giacomo Nicotera, in a display that lacked discipline and caused the hosts to play for more than half an hour with 14 players. "Reality says we could have won and so we are very disappointed that we did not succeed," Quesada said. "I'm very angry, before coming to speak (to the media) I had to calm down. I told the team that this scenario could present itself and that we would have to be ready to take it. "If we had done a few minutes less with 14 (players, we could have won). But the cards are there. It's still a good Six Nations, but it could have ended in an incredible way." Italy stretched Ireland on several occasions but in defence were short of numbers that allowed the visitors to score soft tries, including two from driving mauls. "We are proud of our game, 15 against 15 we dominated for long stretches, we played much better than the last two games,' Quesada said. "We made this Ireland side, who came here to win the Six Nations, look like a normal team, putting heart and character on the field. "I'm disappointed not to have won, today remains a bad feeling, but I'm sure that with a cool head, we will be able to turn it into a positive moment of growth." Italy finished the Six Nations with five points from their five matches, their single win a 22-15 victory in Wales.
Reuters
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Italy team to face England in Six Nations
March 7 (Reuters) - Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada on Friday named the following team to face England in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Sunday: Team: 15-Ange Capuozzo, 14-Monty Ioane, 13-Juan Ignacio Brex, 12-Tommaso Menoncello, 11-Matt Gallagher, 10-Paolo Garbisi, 9-Stephen Varney, 8-Ross Vintcent, 7-Michele Lamaro (captain), 6-Sebastian Negri, 5-Federico Ruzza, 4-Niccolo Cannone, 3-Marco Riccioni, 2-Giacomo Nicotera, 1-Danilo Fischetti Replacements: 16-Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17-Mirco Spagnolo, 18-Simone Ferrari, 19-Riccardo Favretto, 20-Manuel Zuliani, 21-Lorenzo Cannone, 22-Martin Page-Relo, 23-Tommaso Allan
BBC News
21-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
France drop Penaud and Jalibert for Italy match
Guinness Men's Six Nations: Italy v FranceVenue: Stadio Olimpico Date: Sunday, 23 February Kick-off: 15:00 GMTCoverage: Text commentary and highlights on BBC Sport website and app; watch live on ITV1; watch highlights on BBC Two from 1800 GMT. France team news Head coach Fabien Galthie has made sweeping changes to his 23-man squad following his side's 26-25 defeat by England last time Matthieu Jalibert and wing Damian Penaud have been dropped with Thomas Ramos moving to number 10 and Leo Barre and Theo Attissogbe coming into the back three alongside Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the tournament's top try-scorer with Emmanuel Meafou unavailable because of an illness, Thibaud Flament makes his first appearance of the tournament alongside Mickael Guillard in the second has opted for a 7-1 split on the bench, with scrum-half Maxime Lucu the only recognised back among the 15-Barre; 14-Attissogbe, 13-Barassi, 12-Moefana, 11-Bielle-Biarrey; 10-Ramos; 9-Dupont (capt); 1-Gros, 2-Mauvaka, 3-Atonio; 4-Flament, 5-Guillard; 6- Cros, 7-Boudehent, 16-Marchand, 17-Baille, 18-Aldegheri, 19-Taofifenua, 20-Roumat, 21-Jegou, 22-Jelonch, 23-Lucu. Italy team news Italy have made just two changes to the side that defeated Wales, with Simone Gesi coming in on the wing for the injured Monty Ioane and hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi replacing Giacomo Nicotera, who drops to the will make his third appearance for Italy and second start, having missed the 22-15 win over Wales with a knock after coming off the bench in the loss to Scotland in round 15-Allan; 14-Capuozzo, 13-Brex, 12-Menoncello, 11-Gesi; 10 P. Garbisi, 9-Page-Relo; 1-Fischetti, 2-Lucchesi, 3-Ferrari; 4-N Cannone, 5-Ruzza; 6-Negri, 7-Lamaro (capt), 8-L 16-Nicotera, 17-Spagnolo, 18-Zilocchi, 19-Favretto, 20-Zuliani, 21-Vintcent, 22-A Garbisi, 23-Trulla. Overview The 50th Test clash between these two nations holds extra significance this weekend, as France seek to bounce back immediately from their 26-25 defeat by England a fortnight side squandered numerous try-scoring chances during an error-strewn performance at Twickenham and failed to adapt to the tricky conditions as their Grand Slam hopes were washed away in the west London a crunch trip to Dublin looming large in round four, the pressure on France is amplified as they head to Rome to take on an in-form Italy, who are attempting to win three successive Six Nations home games for the first Azzurri outplayed a beleaguered Wales two weeks ago in Rome and despite head coach Gonzalo Quesada seeking to embrace his side's underdog status for this match, they have a genuine chance of beating their illustrious European neighbours for just a third time in this championship. View from both camps Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada: "We have a bit more faith in what we want to do. We know how we want to manage games, what our in-game philosophy is and how we're going to play."I hope we'll see this on the pitch against a team that is better than us, that we know is better than us."France head coach Fabien Galthie: "To play in this team, you have to perform well."There are times when you have to make choices, you have to arbitrate between different possibilities. Our vision is focused on the match and the long term."And on his decision to opt for a 7-1 split on the bench: "It's tactical and linked to a very special opponent. We decided to try a strategy to be ready in the key sectors in which Italy are extremely good." Commentator's notes Andrew Cotter: Backs are a dying breed in Rome with Italy going for six forwards on their bench and France becoming the first Six Nations side to follow the occasional Springbok method and choose seven forwards in reserve. It's legal - for now - and it shows how France want to play, dominating with their power. Galthie has also been ruthless in dropping star names after the wasteful display against England with wing Penaud and fly-half Jalibert paying the can approach the game with some confidence - they were a kick away from beating France in Lille last year, they have continuity of selection and were good value for their win over Wales. But France will surely rebound well from Twickenham and their class should tell in the final quarter. Unless, that is, they lose a few backs to injury… Match facts Head-to-headFrance have won 22 of their 25 Six Nations clashes with Italy, drawing once and losing twice, with those defeats both coming in Rome in 2011 and is the the 50th Test meeting between the two nations; France have won 45, Italy have won three and they drew 13-13 last year. ItalyItaly are attempting to win three Six Nations home games in a row for the first Azzurri have lost just one of their past five Six Nations matches, winning three and drawing the other against France last goal-kicking success rate of 78.6% is the highest of any side in the championship after the opening two rounds. FranceFrance have suffered consecutive away defeats for the first time since Bleus have conceded an average of just 1.7 points per entry into their 22 in this year's Six Nations, the best record of any have the best disciplinary record after the opening two rounds, conceding just 11 they are the only side to receive a red card, with Romain Ntamack dismissed during the opening weekend win over Wales.
Reuters
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Italy coach hails win over Wales as turning-point
ROME, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Italy overcame difficult odds and made a major step forward with a disciplined victory over Wales in the Six Nations, their coach Gonzalo Quesada said after the 22-15 win on Saturday. "Today is an important day for this squad. We played at home and had the pressure of starting as favourites and had to face a difficult match because of the weather because we are a team that likes to attack and play with the ball," Quesada told a news conference at a rainy Stadio Olimpico. "This is a point of evolution for the team and that makes me very happy. With this weather, the game was played where it had to be played, with discipline the key. "We had consistency and pragmatism to play a different type of rugby, which is not what we like, but it was the type of rugby that had to be played today," he added. Quesada has made it clear in the past that improving Italy's prospects is a long-term project. They avoided the wooden spoon in the last Six Nations and won two of their five fixtures for a first time. "We are working on the mentality, the identity, emphasizing the ability to attack even without the ball in hand. This is an evolutionary process," he said. Next up for Italy are France, who they narrowly failed to beat last year, in Rome on February 23. "We haven't started looking at France yet but they will be a very different challenge because they are a team with different characteristics to Wales; they are heavy, but also slow in reloading," Quesada said. "We'll bring a lot of confidence and serenity, we have taken a big load off our shoulders with this win. Nobody expects us to do anything against France and this could yet prove an advantage for us."
The Independent
31-01-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Scotland vs Italy prediction: Scots to triumph in close opener against dogged Azzurri
Scotland vs Italy betting tips Another Six Nations of huge hope awaits for Scotland. Saturday's opener against Italy is a tricky way to begin; a match they are very much expected to win, but one that is likely to pose a few questions as both teams look to start the competition with a big result. The Azzurri produced a stunning 31-29 victory in this fixture last year, a result that goes a long way to sum up the potential drama both of these teams can produce. Scotland are outsiders to lift the trophy, with betting sites pricing them up at 8/1 to go all the way, while Italy will be desperate to build on their fifth-placed finish achieved last time out. Whether or not these teams can achieve their goals will be put in motion at Murrayfield in what is shaping up to be an intriguing curtain-raiser for Saturday's action (2.15pm, BBC One). Scotland vs Italy betting preview: Scots to get it done…but it won't be easy Recent inconsistency from both sides makes this harder to call than it usually would be. Italy have worked hard to elevate themselves under Gonzalo Quesada, but their two wins at last year's Six Nations were followed by a range of performances, including a strong showing in the 29-11 loss to New Zealand and a 50-18 whooping at the hands of Argentina. This is a team with excellent star players. Ange Capuozzo is an incredibly exciting attacker whose pace should give Scotland real problems, while Paolo Garbisi will feel he has a point to prove after unluckily missing the vital penalty in last year's draw with France. Add in Federico Ruzza's breathless energy and there's real pedigree in a side that is almost always going to be the underdog. Scotland will be buoyed by the news that record try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe is likely to be fit after his recent ankle injury. Gregor Townsend's squad has been obliterated by injury since it was announced, with captain Sione Tuipulotu and Dylan Richardson among those set to miss out. However, this is still a squad that boasts considerable quality, with playmaker Finn Russell and thunderous full-back Blair Kinghorn among those who will be keeping the Italians up at night. This is set up to be an extremely close match, perhaps more so than many will expect. Italy's two-point victory last year is indicative of how tight games have been between these two in recent times, with Scotland winning the two previous by 12. A bet on the winning margin represents an interesting punt on rugby betting sites, as it offers greater value than a straight Scottish win and acknowledges the quality Italy can offer when they're in tune. Please gamble responsibly When having a bet, it's vital to practice responsible gambling. Betting can be addictive and it's important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop. Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help them stay in control. But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don't hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.
