Spain’s qualification for the World Cup and its rise to 15th place in the World Rugby ranking required important rivals for the next international match windows and this Friday the first of them was confirmed. Kieran Crowley, Italian coach, and his manager, Giovanbattista Venditti, assured in a press conference to assess the performance in the Six Nations that the Azzurra will face the Lions in July.
The possibility of this confrontation was already advanced by the Spanish coach, Santiago Santos, after the victory against Portugal that sealed the ticket to France 2023. Santos did not take anything for granted, but stated that the matter was being addressed. In the absence of official confirmation by the Spanish Federation and World Rugby, it will finally take place.
The venue is unknown for now, although the most logical thing for the status of both teams would be for Spain to play as a visitor, and the date. As for the latter, the options would be July 2, 9 and 16. Crowley and Venditti also revealed that another of their rivals will be Georgia, champion of the Six Nations B. The Lions have already faced Italy A, the second transalpine national team, in a test match played in October last year at the Central de Madrid. Then they faced a team that included, among others, Ange Capuozzo, the man who manufactured last Saturday the essay that served to break, against Wales, a streak of 36 Italian defeats in the Six Nations.