Team profile: Italy

Italy will most likely need a win over either Australia or Ireland to made it out of the group stage. Photo / Getty Images

Despite competing in every tournament to date, Italy have never reached the knock-out stages of the World Cup.

Team bio:
World Cup Appearances: 6
Last World Cup result: Group stages
Best-ever RWC: Group stages
IRB Ranking: 11
Head Coach: Nick Mallet
Key player: Sergio Parisse, a top-class loose forward who will need to be at his best if Italy are to pip the Irish in the final shakedown.

Overview:
Italy are certainly in the category of "could pull off an upset" at the World Cup.

They may find it hard to stop their eyes veering towards October 2 and the final pool game against Ireland in Dunedin, which could decide the teams to advance into the last eight.

Their form has been ordinary. They were bottom of the Six Nations although a maiden victory over France prompted an extraordinary outburst from French coach Marc Lievremont and delight in Rome.

Coach Nick Mallett is off after the cup.

He'll want to leave his mark. Italy have never got into the knockout stage despite being ever-present at the cup.

They were there on opening day 24 years ago and endured a 70-6 loss to the All Blacks. They've had good moments - an 18-14 win over Fiji in Dunedin in 1987 was the first of them - and while they have improved, the Azzurri are yet to crack the upper reaches of the Six Nations.

The draw gives Italy a tough start against group favourites Australia, then a chance to iron out any issues against Russia and the United States before squaring off with the Irish.

They should field a decent pack, with a tough front row, and flanker Mauro Bergamasco adds class and abrasiveness. Prop Andrea Lo Cicero is on his fourth event but almost half the squad are on cup debut.

Names like Geldenhuys, van Zyl and Derbyshire don't sound particularly Italian; still Nelson and Dunedin are in for a touch of European colour.

Peter Bills on Italy:
Nick Mallett's coaching tenure of the Azzurri ends after this World Cup. He's being replaced by Jacques Brunel, formerly of Perpignan, and it is not the choice of the Italian players who wanted Mallett to stay.

A first victory over France on the final day of the Six Nations season capped a much improved campaign, disregarding the 59-point collapse at Twickenham. They led Ireland in Rome up to the final moments and should have won. They also had moments against Wales, before losing by eight points.

Sergio Parisse remains a peerless competitor in most Northern Hemisphere company (Ireland's Jamie Heaslip excepted).

And the front row has some scrummagers as wily as a barrowload of monkeys. Their antics were too much for most of the referees in this part of the world.

But Italy are still trying to make cakes with a collection of crumbs.

They lack any depth; indeed, they don't have real first-choice quality in many positions.

Fixtures:
Pool C
Sunday September 11 v Australia, North Harbour Stadium (Auckland)
Tuesday September 20 v Russia, Trafalgar Park (Nelson)
Tuesday September 27 v USA, Trafalgar Park (Nelson)
Sunday October 2 v Ireland, Otago Stadium (Dunedin)

- HERALD ONLINE