The historic victory over England launches the Azzurri phenomenon and the dreams of the Italian national team: “All thanks to the new mentality, Quesada has brought freshness and awareness. The All Blacks? We’ll try to beat them in July.”
Planet Rugby, the bible of rugby websites, first gave him a 9, then chose him as the best player of the fourth round of the 2026 Six Nations: “He attacks from 13 and defends from 12,” it wrote. In other words, he plays equally well as inside center or outside center. The English newspapers praise him, the French ones can’t wait for him to arrive in Toulouse at the end of the season. Tommaso Menoncello is a star for everyone.
Tommy, how are you celebrating Italy’s first ever victory against England?
“With a third half in the belly of the Olimpico, together with our crestfallen opponents. And then, with my girlfriend Anna, with a nice Sunday lunch at a Roman bakery, with pizza and schiacciate.”
The world is talking about you…
“Let’s not exaggerate, even though I’ve seen a few headlines and read a few comments. I was pleased, of course. I was also proud of the many compliments I received from fans, including English ones, around the city. It’s recognition of the work we’re doing. Certain results don’t come about by chance.”
Do you realize what you’ve done? The CEO of the English federation, Bill Sweeney, felt compelled to confirm coach Ian Bortwick…
“Now I understand it better than I did in the heat of the moment. On Saturday night, taking advantage of the work of our video analysts who send us the entire match and related clips on a dedicated app, I immediately watched the plays in which I was most involved. Six or seven minutes in total. But what a thrill.” In the recent past, Italy, down 18-10 with 22 minutes to go and a man down, would have disappeared. Now it comes back and wins: how is that possible?
“Technically, we didn’t play our best. But, especially in the last 10 minutes, scoring a try and defending hard against the last English attacks, we showed great consistency and maturity.”
The absences of players such as Capuozzo, Todaro, Trulla, Page-Relo, Vintcent, Negri, and Riccioni have gone almost unnoticed: what is the secret?
“Physically, we have been at the top for some time, but our mentality has changed. Now we stay focused for the entire 80 minutes and rarely concede easy points. We’ve learned to divide games into quarters. That way, by spreading the effort, we always give 100%.“ Can you explain that better? ”It’s psychological: we come out firing on all cylinders, both in games and in training. And when the last 20 minutes come around, we start all over again.”
What role does coach Quesada play in all this?
“His arrival brought freshness and awareness. He lives everything with enthusiasm and passion and knows how to convey both. He motivates us, he energizes us, and we have a different attitude.”
Let’s go back to Saturday: you were the protagonist in the two tries that are now all over social media. Can you relive them?
“The first try started with a lineout that we had practiced over and over again during the week. From there, we had possession in several phases, which threw the English defense into disarray. Until the ball reached Alessandro Garbisi, who was very quick to direct it towards me, giving me a perfect running angle. Scoring between the posts at that point was easy. It was all a matter of mechanics and automatisms.“
And the second?
”From a counterattack: Paolo Garbisi worked his magic to find Ioane, who, with two feints, took out a couple of opponents. I went one-on-one and served Marin, who dived for the try.”
How did you come up with that “spin” on yourself?
“Instinct: it was the only way to stay on my feet and maintain speed after a hard impact. Let’s just say my hocks helped me.“
On Thursday, you will leave for Cardiff, where you will close the tournament against Wales on Saturday. What are your ambitions?
”It will be the toughest match of the five this year. The results don’t show it, but they are a team not to be underestimated, especially at home.”
Are you still convinced that Italy will win the Six Nations one day soon?
“I really believe it. This group has the potential to do it. Give us a few more years.”
Is it even possible to beat the All Blacks?
“Why not? We’ll try in July in Wellington. But for now, we’re staying focused on the present.“
Also because his future in Toulouse is dizzying.
”It’s not official, but I’m ambitious and dream of an experience abroad. If it happens, I’ll remain grateful to Benetton, and I know I’ll miss my Quinto di Treviso, 10 minutes from Monigo, where I’ve always lived. I would like to thank Anna, an online psychology student, who follows me everywhere, like my family.” From his beginnings in Paese to the French club, which has won four national titles and two Champions Cups in the last five seasons: he has come a long way…
“I was in Paese for three seasons, up to the under-14s, ‘brushing up against’ Zuliani, who is two years older than me. It all went by very quickly.”
