Italy may be well and truly up against it when they face the All Blacks on Sunday (NZT) but Italy's players feel their game plan is getting toward where it needs to be under new coach Conor O'Shea.
Despite having a structure that placed the set piece at the heart of their rugby which saw them to wins over Scotland and France in the Six Nations in the past three years, Irishman O'Shea has spent his short time at the helm so far recalibrating the team's focus to playing all-round attacking rugby.
And Italian backrower Dries van Schalkwyk said that his philosophy has very much resonated with the players.
"It’s not a coach telling you like a teacher to do this," he said.
"We have come up with it and bought into it and it creates a calmness when we’re out there. When the pressure is coming and the game is coming it is almost like a crutch to stand on and help to support you when the hard moments are there."
Playmaker Carlo Canna has shone when he's played in the Italian 10 jersey with standout performances in the 6 Nations against Wales and Scotland.
With O'Shea's arrival, he'll likely get more time in the role and fullback Luke McLean said he hoped that Canna would be at the forefront of Italy's quest to play attacking rugby.
"He’s got a little bit of x-factor.
"He’ll play what’s in front of him. I think that’s one of his things. That’s his thing, that's his x-factor."
Whilst the average score between the All Blacks and Italy has been 29-7 in the last three games, Italy has struggled on attack.
However with a new philosophy and a new perspective, it could be very different when the teams meet at Rome's Stadio Olympico on Sunday (NZT).
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