Zürcher Nachrichten - Veteran Allan determined to continue Italy's rise up the rugby ranks

Born in Vincenza but also raised in England, Allan said in an interview with AFP that beating the English was a special moment in an international career which for a long time was characterised by heavy defeats and wooden spoons.

The 32-year-old, a late substitute in Saturday's historic 23-18 win, also played in Italy's first wins over South Africa, in 2016, and over Australia, six years later.

Italy face Wales on Saturday, in their final fixture of this year's Six Nations, hunting a win which would give the country its best-ever tally of three in a single edition.

"I had a bit of a think about it on Sunday... It is special, obviously, that we're able to achieve these results, but we've worked so hard for it," said Allan.

"We might not have the same facilities that England do or other teams do, but we just want to play for the jersey and represent our country and try and make people happy that follow us.

"It may be tough to realise in the moment when you're there, but once you step out of it a little bit and realise what's happened in the last few years, it's going to feel very special."

- 'Character' -

Saturday's win was a watershed moment for Italy who between 2016 and 2021 failed to win a single Six Nations match but in the last four years have become a respected Test team.

Italy trailed by two points at half-time in Rome but instead of collapsing as frequently happened in the past, Gonzalo Quesada's players held their nerve with Paolo Garbisi's perfect points-kicking performance the difference between the sides.

Allan made his return to action in the final minutes following nearly four months out with injury and was able to fully participate in the wild celebrations at the end of the match.

"A lot of times, obviously, in those close games back in the day, they probably would get away from us. It shows the character of the group and the things we worked on for the last couple of years," said Allan.

"Even if we're down in the score, we can give 80-minute performances and then catch up again when teams are in the lead."

Italy have a chance of finishing third ahead of Ireland, although they would need a bonus point win over Wales and Scotland to prevail in Dublin and a hefty points swing in their favour.

But a third win from their five games would still be a huge success to Italy, a tally that could have even been higher given how well they played against the Irish in Ireland in the second round, when they lost a tight match 20-13.

- Punching above weight -

"I think that's a bit of a testament to what we've been doing for the last few years. We haven't really been going in as favourites to many games," said Allan.

"They (Wales) have been struggling a little bit, but we know what that means as well. We've lived through that for the last 10 years.

"We're just going to focus on ourselves, like we have been doing for the last many years, and try to control what we can control. Hopefully, we can come out on top."

Italy's rugby federation has a significantly smaller player base -- around 100,000 across the men's and women's games -- and a fraction of the budget of powerhouses England and France. The small cities of Treviso and Parma host the country's only two top-level clubs.

But player development has been impressive, with the under-20s national team dishing out their fair share of bloody noses over recent years.

"I think that's the biggest thing. I think it's the depth that we have now in our team. A lot of the young players that came through four or five years ago have really improved so much," said Allan.

"You see that all the top teams in the world have massive depth and competition for every single spot. I think that's where we're at at the moment with Italy as well.

"There's more and more competition for places. In training, you have to be at your very best every single day just to get a spot on the team."

G.Kuhn--NZN