The Italian Job!

It’s a long way from Newark, Hexham and Twickenham to Colorno.  But in rugby, the friendships, the characters and the soul of the game are the same wherever you are.  The Principles of the Game are the same, the same problems are there to be solved – what is fascinating is how different cultures find different solutions.

I arrived at Colorno as DoR (speaking little Italian) in September.  The warmth of the welcome and the passion for rugby was incredible.  My job is DoR from the U6 team (who play full contact by the way) through to our Serie A mens team and our Serie A women’s team, 8 of whom are part of the Italy team taking the 6 Nations 2019 by storm.

The environment, the coaches and the players have embraced a change in approach and I felt it was time to introduce them to the next level of the project by inviting Fletch.  To quote the Italian Job film, he was “only supposed to blow the bloody doors off” but instead he blew their minds…..

Dinner in our excellent clubhouse restaurant on Wednesday night and we made a plan.  Fletch worked hard with the U18s and the women’s team on the Thursday, then U14, U16, U18 and senior team on the Friday.  An advantage for rugby in Italy is that they finish school at 1300 every day, so the players are available to train most afternoons. We have 10 mini buses with a team of drivers who pick the kids up from home in the afternoons. The feedback from Fletch was reassuring and helped me focus on our next steps.  He confirmed that skill levels here are high; physicality is good – indeed 3 of our U18 squad missed by the Academies here would, in his opinion, get into an RFU Academy. But…….decision making under pressure, and the creativity to “beat the game” still needs work.

We discussed this at length (usually over a glass).  Within 50 miles of where we were sat, the world’s most creative energy has been at work. In the car industry, Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Bugatti are all here.  In Milan the world’s most creative fashion houses flourish.  Parma, our city, is the only UNESCO world heritage site for Gastronomy – yet sport is organized and risk averse.  How do we give players and coaches “permission” to be different?  

On the Saturday (after a sensational Argentine barbecue on Friday night) Fletch held a full day of Coach Development for coaches from all over Italy.  Around 60 coaches heard the Magic Academy message and it would be my observation that there was real learning and a real impact on each of them.  I have been to many many similar sessions – running them, delivering them – and often come away with a slight sense of cynicism.  I see lots of nodding heads but in England there has been too often a sense that “yes, we already do this…..heard it before….it wont work in our situation”.  Here there was a sense of excitement, a sense of “Why have we not done this before and we cannot wait to try it”.

One of the most powerful moments came when Fletch worked with the U16 players during the Coach Education session.  One or two coaches came out with the old excuse “Yes, but these are a highly skilled bunch of players”.  A coach from Modena responded by saying that his club had played against this group in early October, and beat them easily.  He was utterly amazed by the transformation since then, given the way Colorno coaches had moved the group on using a different approach.

On the Saturday evening the club organized the 6 Nations women’s game in Parma.  And what a glimpse of how good rugby could be!  The movement of the ball to space was outstanding; the intent to play stunning; and the result history making for Italy.  The crowd were Italian and noisy…..and the post match banquet did not start until 12.30am….Fletch said he had had earlier breakfasts than when we finished the sixth course.

Did Fletch and the Magic Academy leave a legacy here? Without doubt.  Doors have been opened, coaches start to see what the game could look like.  It is all about momentum now, keeping pushing, influencing, persuading and giving permission.  The game can be great here.  I see negativity about Italian inclusion in the 6 Nations etc, but it all mis understands what the game can be.  It can either be a monochrome Anglo Saxon game enlivened by the spirit of the Fijians, Samoans and Tongan; or it can foster and encourage Latin creativity and discover a new element.  Rugby is a small sport in Italy, overshadowed by the big sports – Volleyball, Basketball and Water Polo.  If Rugby in Italy can unlock its creativity, the athletes from those other sports where Italy leads the world (I didn’t mention Calcio!) then who knows what could happen

The Magic Academy approach might be the key….thanks Fletch!