Heat is on for kitchen partners

While tensions will be riding high when Italy face Ireland in Sunday's winner-takes-all clash at Otago Stadium, loyalties will be sorely tested at an Italian restaurant 16,000km miles away in Leicestershire, England.

The co-owners of Timo, an eaterie in Market Harborough, are Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni and Ireland full back Geordan Murphy.

And the duo will put their friendship and business ties aside as their sides battle for a place in the quarter-finals.

Their staff and patrons back in England will be divided in their allegiances this weekend while the Leicester Tigers teammates have only one thing on their respective menus - keeping their RWC 2011 dreams alive.

The pre-match banter has already begun. Their establishment serves dishes named after fellow Tigers players, such as Tom Croft Carbonara and Ben Youngs Spaghetti Lobster, though Castrogiovanni is not overly complimentary about how much his partner contributes in the kitchen.

Buckets of chips

“Geordan is Irish and the only thing the Irish know about food and drink is whiskey, beer and potatoes,” he said. "Not like us Italians.”

Castrogiovanni has brought his best form into RWC 2011, scoring a try in Italy’s 27-10 victory over USA and also playing a hand in penalty tries against the same side and Russia.

But Murphy suggested he knows a way to prevent the bulky Castrogiovanni from performing at his peak.

“If you look at the size of him, he obviously eats a lot of food there, whereas I just stick to water, so maybe that backs up his claim,” the Irishman said.

“I'm thinking of putting some buckets of chips in the corner. That should distract him.”
Castrogiovanni has also come in for a ribbing at the hands of another Leicester player, Dan Cole.

Free meals

The prop, in New Zealand with the England squad, claimed Castrogiovanni was too tight-fisted to give his club teammates free meals. But the Italian has hit back.

“Dan is always complaining that we don’t give him any food,” he said. “But the problem is that he and another prop, Boris Stankovich, only come in for the coffee because they know it is free.”

Castrogiovanni and club captain Murphy have become firm friends since the Italian joined Leicester in 2006, helping the Tigers win three English Premiership titles and reach two Heineken Cup finals.

Murphy won his place in the Ireland party at RWC 2011 after struggling against injury over the last couple of seasons.

“I’m delighted he’s here because he has had two very tough years with a knee injury and he had to work very hard to make the squad,” said Castrogiovanni.

“Of course we will meet up before the match, we’re friends off the pitch. On the pitch it is different - if I get the chance to kill him, I’ll kill him.”