OPINION: Italy and France's short-sightedness could cost them in the long run

The Citizen

6 days ago

One has got to wonder what Italy and France will gain by sending weakened rugby teams to tour South Africa and New Zealand this month.
A weakened Italian rugby team will take on the Springboks in two Tests in the coming weeks. Picture: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
Italy and France are showing incredible short-sightedness in taking weakened teams to the Southern Hemisphere for their Test series' against juggernauts, the Springboks and All Blacks, respectively.
On top of being a touch disrespectful to two of the biggest teams in world rugby, it is also a wasted opportunity to give their best players important experience playing against top teams away from home.
Only one Northern Hemisphere side has ever won the Rugby World Cup, namely England in 2003, and if teams from the north continue to back weakened sides against what are considered the best teams in the business, you have to wonder when next they will win a World Cup.
Ranked 10th in the world, Italy realistically don't have a chance of lifting the Webb Ellis Cup, at least not in the next few years, but fourth ranked France, who are the current Six Nations champions, should be a real contender at the showpiece event.
What are these countries gaining?
But Italy have been desperate to improve in recent times, and the double World Cup winning Boks would have provided their star players with a golden opportunity to test themselves against the best in foreign conditions.
Instead, top players such as fullback Tommaso Allan, wing Ange Capuozzo, midfielder Juan Ignacio Brex, flyhalf Paolo Garbisi, scrumhalf Martin Page-Relo, hooker Gianmarci Lucchesi, and prop Simone Ferrari have all been left at home, while a number of uncapped players are in the mix.
France are even worse off, having left more than half of their best players at home, and will head into their three-match series against the All Blacks seriously underpowered.
Excuses that have been brought up include resting players at the end of a long season and giving new and fringe players valuable experience.
But if your best can't do the job on the biggest stage, surely it would be wiser to try help them keep improving by playing the strongest away from home?
Add to this the fact the next World Cup is being held in the Southern Hemisphere, in Australia, and you have to seriously wonder what the management teams are thinking when leaving out their top players.
The Springboks and All Blacks don't send weakened squads on their end-of-year tours to the north, even though that is the end of their international season, while Bok players don't really have a proper rest window, with a year-round calendar, but are still constantly selected.