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RUGBY: THE ALL BLACKS - A LEGEND ON TOUR That mistreated Italian rugby audiences soar when any top-ranking world event comes along is a fact that cannot be disputed. Last year, the country's debut in the "Six nations", renamed after Italy's inclusion among the best of European rugby, produced clamorous peaks of interest whenever the blues were pitted against the cream of the game. And the arrival in the country last weekend of the legendary All Blacks from New Zealand emphasised that the attraction of the big match is still strong among rugby fans. In Genoa, for the second time, the athletes of what is perhaps the most envied island in the world danced their haka, the Maori tribal war-dance intended to scare the opponent team. But as often happens when playing against top-notch sides, the blue sixteen gave an admirable performance and rallied the crowds of fans who had come to see them play at the Marassi stadium. Of course, when we say admirable performance, we mean they did not let themselves be overwhelmed by the crushing strength of this formidable squad, often managing to play on a par. Two tries to the legendary All Blacks with the scrum had never happened before. And, considering that at the end of the match even the New Zealand coach came into our changing rooms to congratulate each of our players in turn means we can only have played a fairly decent game. The standards of playing were consistent with the numbers of spectators (the Genoa stadium was packed with 37 thousand fans) and TV viewers. Over a million people watched the Jaguar test-match with a share of nearly 11%. The figures fall drastically however when it comes to the Italian championship; viewing levels and the performance of Italian rugby teams seem to be in some way related. Big matches are always a strong attraction for broadcasting companies and viewers, while other national and international competitions see the sport consigned to oblivion. Because there is no basic rugby movement in the country, like in the UK and France, it would seem that Italian rugby must come under the limelight only a few times a year. The rest of the time, the planet soccer dominates all. Unfortunately, there is no way out of this situation and probably, until we become the best in the world, like in volleyball, the minor movements will always receive sporadic publicity and be relegated to niches. Anyway, let us now get ready to play in the 6 nations cup. The blue team will be trying its luck again in February. In order to upgrade, we need to make the most of the next 5 matches against Europe's best. Last year, after the surprising initial success against Scotland, we met with 4 defeats in a row. Now, in order to win new audiences, we must do a little better. It will not be easy, considering our opponents and their tradition. But this is the law of sport; to show you have grown up, it is the results that count and what you do year after year.  So, come on blues and give it all you've got!  Paolo Ghisoni

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