Preview: New Zealand v Italy

The quest to satisfy a twenty year thirst begins in earnest for New Zealand in Marseille on Saturday when they open their 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign against Italy.

Having supped the sweet wine of success from the Webb Ellis trophy in 1987 the world's number one side have subsequently failed to repeat the achievements witnessed at Eden Park all those agonising years ago.

Such is the extent of the agony suffered by the All Blacks on their perilous journey to France, that the trophy has become something of a poisoned chalice. Now only the sweet taste of success in Paris will quell the fires of torment that have raged for so long.

The fires will continue to burn in every New Zealander's belly, but with each game they will gradually subside as they edge towards the cool waters of a glorious shore in Paris. There will be few obstacles obstructing their path as far as the pool goes, although Italy will provide the main challenge.

With no disrespect to Italy, for they are a team with great promise, they are simply not in the same league as Graham Henry's current crop of All Blacks. Let us not forget this is a team who have won thirty eight of their last forty three Tests, a staggering eighty eight per cent winning record for those who are counting.

It is no wonder then that, with the freakish athleticism of Richie McCaw, the best tight head prop, Carl Hayman, in the world and the prodigious Dan Carter orchestrating the show, that New Zealand will go to Marseille with more than a smattering of confidence.

Italy, for their part, will compete, but for how long is another question. They will come at the All Blacks like banshees, running on passion and adrenaline. The blood that courses through their bodies will be cool, yet the bodies of battle will be burning with pride.

Yet at some stage in the game Italy will fade, and when they do the All Blacks will cut loose in a ruthless but methodical manner. It is in their very nature to sense when the time is right, to sense when the Azzurri are feeling heavy and cumbersome from their heroic efforts. That is what sets New Zealand apart, their killer instinct, and the abundance of class to exploit it.

Having not played a Test since the tail end of the Tri Nations, opting instead for an altogether private preparation period, it will, without doubt, take New Zealand some time to hit their straps. And so it is in this period when Italy need to make their efforts tell, otherwise the nightmare of Rugby World Cup 1999 could well come back to haunt them.

For New Zealand, they will look to their only successful campaign, in 1987, and their opening game at Eden Park, against Italy. A 70-6 victory for David Kirk's men set them on the road to glory. It may therefore be coincidence, or it may be the rugby gods playing their subtle hand, that New Zealand once again open their quest against Italy.

A repeat of the Eden Park mauling then will be the perfect way for Graham Henry and his charges to go after their very own Holy Grail.

Ones to watch:

For New Zealand: Make no mistakes about it, you will want to maintain a close watch on the entire All Black squad. The pressure is on, they know anything but World Cup glory will be seen as a failure, and the road to glory starts here. The side oozes talent, as does the bench, but if you want a single player to watch it has to be Conrad Smith. Plagued by injury in the past Smith is finally fully fit and ready to showcase his undeniable talent. It will be interesting to see how he fairs with Luke McAllister in the centres, but knowing these two the partnership will flourish.

For Italy: The Azzurri, man for man, will need to be at their passionate best in Marseille and you can be assured Alessandro Troncon will wear his sizeable heart on his sleeve. A veteran of 97 Tests the wily scrum half knows that this is his swan song, not that he will let sentiment obstruct the task at hand. He has proven to be a handful to New Zealand teams in the past and you can rest assured he will be in this, his last game against them.

Head to Head: The battle between the two open sides, Richie McCaw and Mauro Bergamasco, will be full of intrigue. There are few in the world who can come close to the irrepressible McCaw, and for very good reason, he is the world's best. Yet in Mauro Bergamasco Italy have the next best thing. The contrasting styles of these two would have you believe they are leagues apart, but don't be fooled. Bergamasco is the key to Italy making a fist of this, and if he hits the heights we know he can New Zealand will be made to work hard for their win.

Prediction: Italy will compete, that much is certain. However they wont win, again that much is certain. The All Blacks will dictate how much they win by. If they hit the ground running the score will tick over with a familiar regularity. Yet there is a chance they will take a while to find their form, in which case Italy will hang in there for as long as is possible. New Zealand by at least thirty.

Recent results:

2004: New Zealand won 59-10, Stadio Flaminio, Rome
2003: New Zealand won 70-7, Colonial Stadium, Melbourne (RWC)
2002: New Zealand won 64-10, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
2000: New Zealand won 56-19, Genoa
1999: New Zealand won 101-3, McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield (RWC)
1995: New Zealand won 70-6, Bologna
1991: New Zealand won 31-21, Welford Rd, Leicester (RWC)
1987: New Zealand won 70-6, Eden Park, Auckland (RWC)

The teams:

New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Luke McAllister, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Chris Jack, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Anton Oliver, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Reuben Thorne, 19 Sione Lauaki, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Aaron Mauger, 22 Leon MacDonald.

Italy: 15 David Bortolussi. 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Andrea Masi, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 11 Marko Stanojevic, 10 Roland de Marigny, 9 Alessandro Troncon, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami (c), 4 Santiago Dellapè, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements: 16 Carlo Festuccia, 17 Andrea Lo Cicero, 18 Valerio Bernabò, 19 Manoa Vosawai, 20 Paul Griffen, 21 Gonzalo Canale, 22 Ezio Galon.

Date: Saturday September 8, 2007
Kick off: 13:45 (12:45 BST)
Venue: Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Touch judges: Christophe Berdos (France), Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
Television match official: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assessor: Ian Scotney (Australia)

By Marcus Leach www.planetrugby.com