Argentine flavour bolsters Azzurri challenge

When Italy's crunch match with Ireland kicks off at Otago Stadium on Sunday evening, there are sure to be alarm clocks going off in Argentina, where the time will be 4.30am, to rouse sleeping bodies for the fixture.

The Italians require a victory in the final Pool C match to reach the quarter-finals for the first time and are banking on several players born in the South American country to help them.
Six players of Argentine origin featured in Italy's original Rugby World Cup squad and hooker Franco Sbaraglini became the seventh when he was called up to replace Tommaso D'Apice, who was forced to return to Italy after injuring his knee against Russia.

"It was the evening and I was sleeping. The call woke me up and there was a message from the manager (Luigi Troiano)," said Sbaraglini.

"I thought it was a wind-up by my friends in Italy as I couldn't believe it, but then I received another call an hour or two later.

Italian passports

"I didn't think it was likely. Impossible in fact. But when I heard it only took me a few minutes to decide. For a player it is the best thing that can happen to them, being called up to the national team for a World Cup."

An estimated 20 million Argentines have Italian ancestry, the descendants of more than two million immigrants who crossed the Atlantic between 1861 and 1920. A whole generation of Argentine rugby players have grown up with the right to an Italian passport and with it a chance to turn out for the Azzurri.

Sbaraglini was born in Mar del Plata, as was Italy captain Sergio Parisse after his father's job with airline Alitalia took him and Parisse's mother to South America.

Centres Gonzalo Garcia and Gonzalo Canale, prop Martin Castrogiovanni, fly half Luciano Orquera and scrum half Pablo Canavosio are the other players in the squad who hail from Argentina.

After representing the Pumas at Under-19 and 21 level, Garcia was selected for both Italy and Argentina A on the same day but opted to make his debut for the Italians against South Africa in 2008.

"It was the right decision for me at the time, both for my development as a player and a man," said Garcia, who hails from Mendoza.

Powerful pack

Italy's record points scorer Diego Dominguez is the most famous Italian-Argentine to wear the azure blue and in recent years Carlos Nieto and Santiago Dellape were valued members of Italy's pack.

While Italy's pack has a similarly fearsome reputation to that of the Pumas, the two Gonzalos - Garcia and Canale - have developed an important partnership at centre.

"I have nearly always played with him, nearly 20 times, and we know each other very well now," said Garcia of Cordoba-born Canale.

"I think our defence is very important and perhaps needs to be at its best for this match."
Against Ireland the pair are likely to be severely tested by their opposite numbers, record-breaking centres Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy.

"They are two players who know what to do on the pitch and they are very experienced," said Garcia.

"They control the match well in both good and bad moments. It is definitely a tough challenge for us in the centres, but we are confident ourselves."