The Italian Ham Job, only for a Quid!
After an excellent result away from home in Pau, LI face their first home tie in the group stages of this year’s Challenge Cup. The visitors to these shores are in the shape of the Italian side Overmach Parma, who had a right kicking at home last week.The Parma side shipped 50 points to the fancied French feckers, Agen, in front a passionate 490 fans. The ticket deal for this fixture had them pouring through the gates with the promise that for each brief purchased, their names would be engraved upon a brick. These bricks have now been laid to create a brand new shoe rack in the players bar, which the community are extremely proud of.
Parma did however get 3 tries on their way to a 23 point haul in reply to the half century posted by the visitors. The 5 point baggers for the Italian outfit were Alessandro Chillon, Alessandro Giacon and Pablo Sciarretta, which give them great heart, well in the attacking play anyway.
Coach Alessandro Ghini will bring his side to the Madstad to take on an Irish team ranked 15 positions above them in the Euro spankings having climbed to a respectable 40th position.
The team were formed in 1931, a fine year indeed for Username, as he popped his cherry in Grimsby during that scorching hot summer. They, like Username, had to wait until the 50’s to reach greater heights, but after the long wait, three league titles came their way, the last of which was in 1957.
On board for the ham-eaters are a few Italian international players and a sprinkling of North American beef to add a bit of drive in the loose, including the former Walsh U19 and U21 Luke Tait. A Belgium International will also be present in the shape of Benoit Durand, the Flemish Flanker spitting bricks for a go at all things green.
The pack is big and powerful and will be determined to put pressure on the exiles all afternoon. All Italian rugby sides pride themselves on their scrummage work, and this team will be no different in the gruntability stakes. This pack has helped them to six victories out of seven games in the Italian Super 10 league, including an away victory over Italian champs Calvisano, with their only blemish being at home to Treviso.
The backs however, may struggle to make the most of any ball won from their fat lads with very little in the way of class, although the capped Francesco Mazzariol at 10 can provide a bit of control to get the girls moving. At centre, Paul Emerick, the US Eagle, will work tirelessly for 91 minutes, but he will be under immense pressure to get things moving. On the wing, the Italian winger Nicola Mazzucato will provide a bit of class in both the offensive and defensive phases of play, and may be dangerous if given a fecking huge amount of space and a fecking huge head start, but he is a danger.
This is not a game for LI to take the easy ride, as the home side will have to work fecking hard early on to establish any short of lead and keep adding to it. Sides like Parma can be very awkward to put away, and to do so, the exiles will have to play for more than 40 fecking minutes! To progress, a 5 pointer is a must to keep pace with favourites for the group, Agen.
-- Master Scribe