Italy coach has high hopes for 6 Nations

Italy head coach Pierre Berbizier believes his side are closing the gap on their RBS Six Nations rivals.

The former France international insists the Azzurri have made great strides since last year's tournament, when they played some fine rugby but were able to secure just a single point.

And Berbizier is adamant the Italian players must learn to play at a high level for 80 minutes if they are to make a greater impact this time around.

"Certainly I can't say my team have a chance to win this tournament," Berbizier told PA Sport

"But things have improved a lot in the past 12 months and for sure we are going in to this RBS Six Nations with high hopes.

"We are aiming to win a game, maybe more. I feel the gap between us and the other teams is very close now, but to win a Six Nations game against a great opponent such as a France, England or Ireland, we need more than a great game display.

"We really need so many different ingredients, such as to stay competitive for the whole game, a bit of luck and a great determination - and don't forget hopefully, for us, maybe one of these teams will encounter a bad day, so miracles can happen."

Berbizier continued: "For example, England at present are facing so many problems, but I still believe they have a great squad and I will be not be surprised if they pull back and play a great tournament.

"My desire is very simple - I want my team to play at their very best in every game, and then we will see what happens."

Despite mustering just a single point in 2006, from an 18-18 draw in Cardiff, Berbizier, who took charge in April 2005, is still counting the days until his side open their campaign against champions France in Rome.

"Last year we showed a great rugby display, playing five good games, but at the end we got only a point," said the former scrum-half.

"I believe if we were a bit more careful in small details and keep competitive for the whole 80 minutes things could be different.

"This year we are playing the first game at home against the French, who as always are one of the favourites to grab the trophy, but they must be careful because in the first game surprises are always behind every corner.

"Our main target is to start in style to give us the right confidence for the other games."

There were signs of improvement in the traditional whipping boys during 2006, when they put in a committed performance against Australia during the autumn Tests, and Berbizier appears to be happy to see his players bring that form into 2007.

"Italy's target (for) this tournament was to continue on the road of improvement, which started with good displays against Argentina and Australia in Rome last November," added the Frenchman.

"There we managed to play simple rugby without stress and suffocating tactics, but were capable of challenging whichever opponents we came across.

"So now we have found a game that reflects the identity of our squad and this is very important for us, even though we know the road is still long."