2 weeks ago
Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney hopes he tin beryllium a "good asset" for Gloucester connected Saturday erstwhile they look Benetton successful their European Challenge Cup semi-final.
Varney, 22, has been capped 29 times by nan Azzurri since making his world debut successful 2020 and will look galore of his Azzurri team-mates astatine Kingsholm.
The victor will look either South African broadside Sharks aliases French outfit Clermont successful nan last successful London connected Friday, 24 May.
"Training pinch them for a batch of clip successful nan year, I cognize really they play, I cognize individually their skillsets arsenic good truthful I deliberation that will beryllium a bully plus connected nan weekend," Varney told BBC Points West.
"They’re a beingness pack, they’re very well-drilled and their onslaught is very bully arsenic well. They’ve sewage bully backs, bully threats individually and they play akin to Italy."
Benetton supplied 20 players to Italy's Six Nations squad this twelvemonth - they enjoyed their best-ever run successful nan tourney - including skipper Michele Lamaro, while their caput coach Marco Bortolami is simply a erstwhile Cherry and Whites captain.
Gloucester person beaten Benetton nan past 3 times they person met successful nan Challenge Cup, pinch a 54-25 triumph successful nan group stages successful December 2021 nan astir caller meeting.
"I deliberation they’re a different squad now," said Wales-born Varney, who qualifies for Italy done his mother.
"They’ll astir apt get stuck into maine I ideate because I gave them immoderate chat successful camp. [I'm] really looking guardant to going up against them, it should beryllium a cracker."
Gloucester person won nan Challenge Cup doubly before, pinch their past title coming successful 2015.
But they ended their nine-year hold for different trophy earlier this play erstwhile they won nan Premiership Rugby Cup.
Director of rugby George Skivington said Varney tin connection penetration that differs from nan club's analysis.
"I deliberation Steve has an penetration into nan emotion and really important it is and really Italian rugby is increasing from spot to spot and really important it is for them to do good successful European competition," Skivington said.
"Steve evidently understands that amended than immoderate of nan remainder of us."
Skivington believes Saturday is "the astir important crippled of nan season" for Gloucester arsenic they look to proceed their cup occurrence having struggled successful nan Premiership.
He said nan imaginable of reaching different last was "really big" for nan nine and location advantage was thing they needed to capitalise on.
"We’re conscionable excited to beryllium successful a semi-final astatine Kingsholm, we’ve worked difficult to get to this constituent and worked difficult to get it astatine location arsenic good truthful from that constituent of position it’s conscionable exciting," he added.
Gloucester will nevertheless beryllium without Argentine full-back Santiago Carreras aft he had room to person his appendix removed.
