Zuliani is part of an outstanding Italy back-row that show the team’s new level of maturity ahead of an exciting Six Nations
It’s not easy to prove your mettle when your main rival for the shirt happens to be your captain with both club and country. As such, the fact that Manuel Zuliani has forged such a strong reputation despite – and, he maintains, because of – the presence of Michele Lamaro makes his inexorable rise hit just as hard as one of his signature big tackles.
The 25-year-old Benetton and Italy openside comes into the Six Nations with the tailwind of an outstanding autumn, during which he delivered a Man of the Match performance in the win over Australia. He backed it up with another standout display in the narrow defeat by South Africa.
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Manuel Zuliani: Italy’s rampaging flanker
Lamaro missed those two games through injury. But for all the Roman’s many qualities, there is a strong case for Zuliani being given the No 7 shirt when Scotland visit the Stadio Olimpico on 7 February.
The pair have started a Test together before – against Ireland in the 2024 Six Nations, when Lamaro switched to No 8. Marco Bortolami, the former Benetton head coach, often found room for them in the same back row as well, but Gonzalo Quesada must consider the competing claims of Lorenzo Cannone and Ross Vintcent, another who produced a stellar November.
Add in the supporting cast of Riccardo Favretto, Alessandro Izekor and David Odiase and it’s clear that the Italy loose-forward stocks are at an all-time high, and that’s before we consider the gnarly claims of Sebastian Negri, the long-established starter who missed the Autumn Nations Series with a knee complaint.
Manuel Zuliani of Italy man at Centro Sportivo Giulio Onesti on October 28, 2024 in Rome, Italy (Getty Images)
It will be a welcome headache for Quesada to perm a starting and bench combination from that lot, but what’s increasingly obvious is that Zuliani must have a central role. Previously deemed more of an impact player, a man whose relentless work-rate on both sides of the ball could best be deployed against tiring opponents, the Treviso native has changed the narrative by being just as effective from the outset against the Wallabies and Springboks.
“Coming into the autumn, I’d only played two games off the bench for Benetton as I’d had an injury, so to start two games like that wasn’t easy,” says the Juventus fanatic, who was thrilled to play, train and sleep in the Bianconeri facilities for that South Africa week.
“In terms of intensity and match fitness, I wasn’t at 100% but those performances allowed me to regain the confidence I’d built up last season. I feel strong and confident looking ahead to the Six Nations.”
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‘I used to struggle a bit with those softer skills’
Michele Lamaro and Manuel Zuliani of Italy at the end of the Guinness Six Nations 2025 match between Italy and Ireland (Getty Images)
While Zuliani insists that competition drives improvement from all the back-rows, he believes a key part of the process is a willingness to share. Indeed, he cites Lamaro’s influence as having been crucial in the gains he has made to his passing and general assurance with ball in hand.
“I used to struggle a bit with those softer skills but I’ve worked really hard at it, and this is where that spirit of helping each other really shows because Michele has been a huge help for me in this regard.
“He’s really good at ball-playing skills and he’s allowed me to take something from him here. Yes, he’s a competitor, a rival, but he’s also ready to share his knowledge and that goes for all the back-rows at Benetton and Italy. There are four or five of us who train together all year between the club and national team, so it’s easier to recognise our strengths and weaknesses and help each other work on them. In every department, in every skill, we help each other. It’s a healthy environment. We push each other to improve.
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“I’m well used to the competition from Benetton and I love it. It pushes me to do better. I’ve never been one to knock on the coach’s door when I don’t get picked. I’ve always told myself that I would do my best to help the team and improve my own performance. And when I do get the chance, I will grab the opportunity.”
Zuliani, who scored a try as a starter against the Springboks on Italy’s summer tour last July, has been as good as his word; not to mention as good as he’s ever been. His all-action style and ability to position himself at the heart of the action through a judiciously timed thumping hit or brazen jackal turnover make him a thoroughly modern flanker who simultaneously honours the timeless traditions of his role.
His early exemplars were Richie McCaw, Sergio Parisse and another tough-tackling Trevigiano, Simone Favaro, all of whom combined industry and technical excellence in a compelling, unflinching package. “I love being at the centre of the game. Whether it’s attack or defence, as a ball-carrier or support player, or trying to speed up the ruck, I want to be involved. I don’t like standing still.
‘I’ve always looked up to Richie McCaw’
“My mum says you need a certain amount of recklessness to play in the back row and I’d say she’s right! But I love my job. I love that feeling of coming off at the end feeling absolutely knackered and knowing I’ve given 100% of my spirit and body to help the team. For me, that’s the greatest satisfaction a player can have.
“I’ve always looked up to Richie McCaw because he was a global star in my position, while Sergio achieved some incredible things that were even more special because he wasn’t playing for one of the top three or four teams.
“Simone Favaro was at his peak when I was just starting to understand the game and the dynamics of the back row. He was such a dog of war and that approach made a big impression on me.”
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A sense of opportunity ushers Italy into the Six Nations, not least because Quesada has begun to add layers to their game. The return to some traditional Italian forward values has been accompanied by the threat of an elegant midfield unit and rapier-like back three, where Edoardo Todaro is now an option alongside Ange Capuozzo, Monty Ioane, Louis Lynagh, Simone Gesi and Matt Gallagher.
Ange Capuozzo and Sebastien Negri of Italy celebrate (Getty Images)
“We know the way we want to play, but we also have flexibility and different strings to our bow that we can go to depending on how the match is unfolding. That’s down to Gonzalo and how he pushes us every day. He’s very precise and detailed about what he wants in every situation, and on the pitch it’s just a case of replicating how we do it in training. We train to the same intensity we want to play at.
“Our centre pairing (Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex) is one of the best in the world and there are other players waiting for an opportunity in those positions too. We have to create space for our best attackers and Ange is one of the best in the world. Just phenomenal at what he does.
“We’re in a really good moment: there’s been a lot of growth and I believe there is more to come. In previous years we suffered when put under pressure; we weren’t mentally good at dealing with it.
“But we’ve developed a different mentality and we feel like a more mature team. We can manage the difficult moments better, thanks in no small part to our No 10s. You can see that we are now good at reacting to momentum shifts within games. Now we can come back, as you saw in the Australia game.”
A big step in that process came two years ago when Italy twice recovered chunky deficits to beat Scotland 31-29 during a Six Nations that also saw them defeat Wales in Cardiff and draw with France in Lille.
“That Scotland game showed what’s possible with this team, and also how much love for us there is in Rome. “Rome is our city, our fortress, and we want to make it even more so. Our job is no longer to be a surprise package but to be more consistent. We believe we’re now mature enough to really kick on and achieve what we want to.”
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