Rugby:THE IRISH squad returned to work yesterday after a couple of days' rest knowing the pressure they are under to effectively win their pool finale against Italy on Sunday, and fairly clear as to where the Azzurri will seek to apply that pressure.

The respect gleaned from annual meetings with the Italian pack is palpable, so much so Ireland forwards coach Gert Smal also agrees with scrum coach Greg Feek that the Azzurri forwards will present their Irish counterparts with their most searching examination in the pool stages.

Referring to the All Blacks game in Milan in 2009, when the Kiwis withstood a full-on assault up front before eventually emerging 20-6 winners by one try to nil, despite Italy enjoying 63 per cent of possession and 64 per cent per cent of territory, Smal says: “They gave the All Blacks a tough time and they’re three years further on. They’ve developed as a pack and they’ve a fair amount of weight behind them. That’s definitely one of the challenges lying ahead for us.”

That game also highlighted Italy’s perennial difficulty in translating possession and territory into points, and although the flair they showed in scoring nine tries against Russia caught the eye of several Irish players, Smal feels fairly confident in outlining how the Italians will seek to play in the enclosed Otago Stadium on Sunday.

“They play a very simply structured game. They drive from lineouts because obviously they’ve got the size. And they’ve got the scrum. So they will try to put the pressure on and play in your half, either through penalties or maybe setting a maul up and then box-kick and try to put your wingers under pressure.”

Smal does not rule out the Italians going wide, but reckons Italy will employ the tactics he outlined about “70 per cent” of the time. “They want to get in your half, then it’s big scrums and try to buy penalties that way, or come with drives and hope you go off-side and then,” he adds, snapping his fingers three times, “pick it off, three-six-nine, if they can win that way. So it’s a very low-risk game but very effective. It works for them. That’s obviously (pressure on) lineouts and scrums.

“But what they also did,” adds Smal, in reference to the appointment of Omar Mouneimne, “they got one of the junior (assistant) breakdown/defence coaches of the (Western) Stormers. It was in the beginning of this season, to help them out with defence and at the breakdown. So they’re much more effective there as well. They defend very much like the Stormers. The defence coach of the Stormers has also been appointed defence coach of the Springboks, so South Africa, Italy and the Stormers are defending very much the same way.”

This, however, does not mean the Azzurri have begun to employ more of a blitz defence. “No, I think they will most probably mix it up,” says Smal, who also doesn’t want to give too much else away regarding the Italians’ defensive system.

Earlier last week, both Ireland and the Springboks were based in Taupo, with each training at Owen Delaney Park, but his arrangement to meet up with some of his former management colleagues fell through due to a late South African training session. That said, he did meet up with Jean de Villiers, who played golf with Paul O’Connell.

Smal is also a playing and coaching contemporary and compatriot of Nick Mallett, for whom Sunday’s game could be his farewell as the Italian head coach unless they win given, curiously, the Italian Federation have already signed up Jacques Brunel to take over after the World Cup.

“We played against each other. I played for Stellenbosch University, he played for Villagers or CTU, not sure which, but we did play one or two games against each other.” They also played a few games alongside each other, circa 1980, in the Western Province backrow, before Mallett upped and left for France. They resumed their rivalry as club coaches in Cape Town.

“He coached False Bay and I coached Northerns Tech and also Cape Tech. Coached against each other in provincial rugby also. I coached Border and he coached Boland – the Paarl area,” said Smal, whose respect for Mallett is genuine. “A very good coach. He’s very demanding. He knows what he wants; hard-headed.”

Given Smal’s tactical outline of the Italians, the Irish squad would not have fancied an arm wrestle in the rain, or at any rate may be privately grateful the newly-built Otago Stadium has a roof.

“Yes, obviously conditions will be better,” says Smal. “We always strive to play any type of game in any type of weather conditions, so we’re not caught up with conditions, but obviously we’ve got some potent backs and some loose forwards who can carry ball. I won’t say it’s an advantage but it’s definitely something we will use.”