New Zealander Kieran Crowley, former coach of the Canada team and current coach of the Treviso club, will take over the destinies of the XV of Italy from this summer, the Italian Rugby Federation announced on Wednesday. Crowley, Benetton Rugby coach for five years, will succeed from July 1 (and until 2024) South African Franco Smith, in post since early 2020. The latter is appointed to a post of senior rugby director level. “We have a generation of talented young people, recently arrived on the international scene, who have all the qualities to constitute, with the more experienced players, the backbone of Italy”, with a view to the next World Cup, assures Crowley, quoted in a statement, which will be replaced on the bench of Treviso by the ex-Italian international Marco Bortolami.
Italy experienced a nightmarish 2021 Six Nations Tournament, once again finishing good last. Without a victory in the Tournament since 2015, this year it also broke the records for the highest number of points conceded (239) and tries conceded (34) in the competition, fueling a debate on its legitimacy. Crowley, who will be 60 next August, was international with the All Blacks, world champion in 1987. He played two seasons in Italy, in Parma, between 1982 and 1984.
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