Women’s rugby, Barattin’s last with Wales

She wrote the history of Italian women’s rugby: 116 appearances for the national team, her debut in 2005 in Hamburg with Germany. If Italy is now in fifth place in the world rankings it is also thanks to this sensational scrum-half, a rainbow of technique, strength and lucidity in managing a team that it has shouldered for so many seasons. Sara Barattin also left her mark last Saturday in Edinburgh with the blue shirt, entering the second half and shaking up “her” girls, who at one point were about to take Scotland back. Tomorrow, at the age of 37, he will take the field at ‘Lanfranchi’ in Parma for the last match of his sunny career: and he will rightly wear the captain’s armband. Tomorrow Italy faces Wales in the fifth and final round of the Six Nations (at 4.30 pm, live on Sky Sport): everyone’s eyes, at least at the beginning, will be only on her.

National chasing the fourth place finish

The coach Nanni Raineri has decided to make only one change compared to the match against the Scots: it is indeed Barattin who takes the place of Sofia Stefan. Two new players on the bench: Alessia Pilani, Colorno’s rookie prop, replaces the suspended Sara Seye; Beatrice Capomaggi takes the place of Francesca Granzotto in the trocar. However it ends, Wales will lead in the standings ahead of the blues: thanks to 2 successes they have already saved up 10 points and secured the final 3rd place behind England and France. The national team can aspire to finish immediately behind, but one success may not be enough to overcome Scotland, which will host the latest Irish players in the evening.

Baratttin: “How many satisfactions and what luck”

Sara will once again lead the blues. That she, excited, speaks on the eve of her game. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but sooner or later it had to happen. I had the good fortune and honor of wearing the national team shirt for 18 years and experiencing unforgettable moments, such as qualifying for the quarter-finals of the last World Cup and finishing 2nd at the Six Nations 2019. Over the years we have built something important for the Italian women’s movement, which is growing and churning out quality players. I wish my teammates, the staff and all those who will be lucky enough to be able to wear these colours, to honor the Italy jersey at all times and appreciate every moment lived during the rallies. It was a great privilege to be able to take the field so many times for the country I represent, and receive the embrace of the fans.”

Rainbow laces, in the fray for inclusion

Tomorrow the blues will use rainbow laces on their playing shoes. It is a way in which the Fir testifies once again the commitment to full inclusion and the fight of Italian rugby against homobitransphobia and celebrate – together with Libera Rugby, the first inclusive and gay-friendly club in Italy the arrival in our country in May 2024, for the first time, of the Bingham Cup. Now in its eleventh edition, the Bingham Cup is the world championship for inclusive rugby clubs and bears the name of Mark Bingham, rugby player and exponent of the community LGBTQIA+ American who led the desperate attempt to stop the hijacking of United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.

Italy: Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi – Aura Muzzo, Michela Sillari, Beatrice Rigoni, Alyssa D’Incà – Veronica Madia, Sara Barattin – Giada Franco, Isabella Locatelli, Sara Tounesi – Giordana Duca, Valeria Fedrighi – Lucia Gai, Vittoria Vecchini, Gaia Maris. Subs: Emanuela Stecca, Alice Cassaghi, Alessia Pilani, Laura Gurioli, Alissa Ranuccini, Sofia Stefan, Emma Stevanin, Beatrice Capomaggi.

Wales: Courtney Keight – Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones, Lleucu George, Carys Williams-Morris – Elinor Snowsill, Keira Bevan – Sioned Harries, Alex Callender, Bethan Lewis – Georgia Evans, Abbie Fleming – Sisilia Tuipulotu, Kelsey Jones, Gwenllian Pyrs. Subs: Carys Phillips, Caryl Thomas, Cerys Hale, Bryonie King, Kate Williams, Ffion Lewis, Kerin Lake, Amelia Tutt.