Cuttitta, below, a delightful old school rugby fanatic, was a class prop and one of half a dozen or more players Italy possessed in the early and mid-1990s who could hold their own in any company. Indeed a couple were genuinely world-class, ie they would have been contenders for a hypothetical World XV of their era.
Older brother, wing Marcello, was certainly in that category, a brilliant operator in his pomp in the early 1990s while Diego Dominguez was a little genius and to this day one of the greatest goalkickers the game has seen. Paolo Vaccari on the opposite wing to Cuttitta was a terrific player in his own right, Allesandro Troncon a pugnacious battler at scrum-half, and Massimo Giovanelli a warrior at flanker.
Meanwhile, in the front row, the formidable Franco Properzi Curti always reminded me of French minder Gerald Cholley. He was not a man to pick an argument with, or indeed a fight and would be much in demand among Europe’s top clubs these days.
There were others who also drew the attention. The dashing Ivan Francescato, a centre by inclination who nonetheless often played scrum-half or wing, back five tyro Carlo Checcinato and a dazzling young dasher Massimo Ravazzolo who suffered badly with injury and eventually flattered to deceive. I remember Ravazzolo once upstaging a star-studded England Colts team including Lawrence Dallaglio at Grange Road for Italy U19.
Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin April 18, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Rugby Paper dergisinin April 18, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
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