Italy are a rugby nation on the rise, even if they remain maybe a couple of players short of the real thing - according to Ireland skipper Brian O'Driscoll in the Observer.
"Sergio Parisse has been a constant for them in recent years and is world-class. He would be a serious contender for a European Lions team. As would Mauro Bergamasco. I first came across Mauro at under-19 level, when he lined up against me in the centre. He has since moved to flanker, thank God, because he was ferocious. I remember trying to tackle him back then and one thing was for sure – he wasn't going backwards.
"He has gone on, like so many of the Italians, to prove himself capable of playing at the highest club level in Europe. He is fast enough to have played international rugby on the wing and now, I hear, they're thinking of trying him out at scrum-half. Well, there are no doubt a few technicalities he would have to learn first, but I can say with confidence to any scrum-halfs out there, you're not going to have an easy afternoon at the office if you end up with Mauro breathing down your neck."
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