Mallett hopes for All Blacks boost in 75,000 sell-out November 06, 2009
Italy coach Nick Mallett is hoping a record 75,000 crowd for the November 14 clash with the All Blacks in Milan will spark renewed interest in rugby in this football-obsessed country.
The match against New Zealand at the San Siro is a 75,000 sell-out, the second biggest crowd for a non-football event in the stadium's history.
Not since boxer Duilio Loi fought Puerto Rico's Carlos Ortiz for the super-lightweight world title in 1960 have so many people packed out Milan's famous arena for something other than a soccer game.
South African Mallett is delighted the game has attracted so much attention.
"It's amazing to be playing in front of such a big crowd. Even in South Africa I've never seen such a big crowd for an international match," he said.
"The players are excited. We could play a great match and give Italian rugby a huge boost."
Mallet on Thursday named a 30-man squad for three internationals against southern hemisphere opponents this month.
Stade Francais flanker Mauro Bergamasco and Clermont centre Gonzalo Canale have been recalled after not having been involved in the original 32-man party that met up in Rome from November 1-5.
Italy play the All Blacks in Milan on November 14, South Africa in Udine a week later and Samoa in Ascoli Piceno on November 28.
Full squad:
Forwards (16): Matias Aguero (Saracens/ENG), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais/FRA), Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester/ENG), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Viadana), Simone Favaro (Parma), Quintin Geldenhuys (Viadana), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Treviso), Fabio Ongaro (Saracens), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais/FRA - capt), Antonio Pavanello (Treviso), Salvatore Perugini (Bayonne/FRA), Tommaso Reato (Rovigo), Ignacio Rouyet (Treviso), Josh Sole (Viadana), Manoa Vosawai (Parma), Alessandro Zanni (Treviso).
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