Mallett: Azzurri effort paying off

ITALY coach Nick Mallett believes his team’s triumph over Scotland was a just reward for the hard work done by his squad in the last six months.

The Azzurri won for the first time in nearly two years in the Six Nations with a 16-12 victory over Scotland in Rome on Saturday.

The Italians went into the game against the Scots brimming with confidence after impressing in a 17-12 defeat to England in their previous match.

“We have improved our defence consistently over the last six months,” said Mallett.

“We have given away just one try in our last two games and that’s not a bad effort considering who we were facing and the holes Italy had in defence in previous campaigns.

“I think our November Tests were crucial for the team to improve.”

Mallett believes, after wooden spoon performances in 2008 and 2009, his team is finally showing its true colours.

And he could find no negatives in his side’s performance against Scotland, a game in which the hosts scored a rare try when substitute Pablo Canavosio crossed over in the 67th minute.

“Nothing,” he said. “We won. We are very satisfied that we managed to hold Scotland.

“I am very proud of our defence and particularly, proud of the try scored, which was a beautiful play, as we had been working on our attack in recent weeks.

“We’ve shown we can play quick rugby. But it’s not only this game. Our tackles have been great also against Ireland and England.

“It goes to show that the team have the capacity to play with the hands but also without the ball.”

Mallett says confidence is growing in the Italian camp with Saturday’s victory their seventh of all-time for the Azzurri in the Six Nations.

“This is a completely different feeling when you manage to hold on for a win,” he said.

“This is great for the players and great for the squad.”

However, Mallett has warned his players to keep their feet on the ground.

“Just because we have beaten Scotland doesn’t mean we think we are better than them,” he said.

“We have a lot of respect for Scottish rugby. We are keeping very humble.”

Scotland fly-half Dan Parks struggled to comprehend how his latest kicking masterclass had gone unrewarded after Scotland slumped to defeat.

Parks was literally tearing his own hair out in exasperation as his team-mates repeatedly failed to capitalise on the fly-half’s second successive man-of-the-match display.

The 31-year-old delivered a near-perfect performance with the boot at the Stadio Flaminio, providing a platform for the visitors to create numerous try-scoring opportunities.

But the same white-line fever that has dogged the side for years returned with a vengeance as Italy ran out 16-12 winners.

“I was very frustrated,” said Parks.

“When you kick a ball to touch and then chase, and they get a chance to take a quick one – that really bugs me.

“It’s just an urgency thing really; I think it’s as simple as that. It was hot out there but we shouldn’t be letting them take things quickly, because that would’ve been ideal.

“That’s the whole idea of putting it into touch, to put them under pressure at the line-out.”