LONDON – A week before the start of the 6 Nations, Ireland’s no.8 Jamie Heaslip has come out and said that he’s excited about coming up against Italy’s veteran and his counterpart Sergio Parisse.
Ireland will kick off the defence of their 6 Nations crown in Rome on Saturday and with all their focus on getting past the often nuggety Italians, Jamie Heaslip said he’s most looking forward to locking horns with the 31 year old Parisse.
It is set to be a blockbuster of a clash with Ireland seeking redemption after their last visit to Rome culminated in a 22-15 loss after a Venditti try on the stroke of full time.
And Heaslip said that the loss to the Italians is what’s fuelling their desire to kick off their 2015 6 Nations campaign with a bang.
“I remember very well what happened when we last went there,” he said.
He also expected them to take a few scalps with them this year.
“They’ll pose a massive threat because they have a huge pack and year after year they are getting better as a rugby nation.”
But the battle with Parisse was what the 31 year old was most looking forward to.
“On a personal level, I can’t wait to go up against Sergio Parisse next week because he has been, for a number of years now, one of the best No.8s in the world. He is a massive leader for them, the core of the team – and he’s a great bloke off the pitch. You always want to pit yourself against players like that.”