The Wallabies might be rank outsiders against the Springboks, but if there’s one person who can get under the skin of the back-to-back world champions, it’s Carlo Tizzano.
Stories of Tizzano riling up his teammates are infamous.
Back when he was playing for the Waratahs, the rising flanker, who had come in hot from the Western Force with a chip on his shoulder, told then-Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper he intended to take his spot.
It wasn’t long before the flanker started a fight with two of the Super Rugby side’s forwards.
It led to assistant coach Chris Whitaker standing him down from training.
By the end of 2022, Tizzano left the Waratahs and returned to the Force after a stint in England.
Carlo Tizzano got under the skin of several of his former teammates at the Waratahs. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Now, off the back of his most consistent season in Super Rugby where Tizzano was an ever-presence at the breakdown for Simon Cron’s Force, the well-travelled flanker will become the Wallabies’ 11th debutant in 2024.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said the Junior Wallabies flanker, who was stuck behind McReight at the under-20s level, first caught his eye halfway through the season.
But the respected coach added he wasn’t expecting Tizzano to simply replicate McReight’s influence on the Wallabies.
“I’m not sure that you can ever get like for like,” Schmidt said.
“We just felt that Carlo would suit the combination that we picked in the back row and in the second row.
“He’s such a good young man and we’re really excited about watching him get underway in 48 hours time.
“His energy is relatively positive, more than abrasive but he fights for everything Carlo and that’s what first caught our eye.
“He’s quite a dynamic competitor around the breakdown and I think in the context of losing Fraser, we needed someone who could bring.”
As one of his old teammates told The Roar, “You’ve got to respect it at the end of the day. He’s a bloke that’s got a goal and has been unwavering about how he reaches that goal.”
Carlo Tizzano during a Wallabies training session at Ballymore Stadium on August 08, 2024 in Brisbane. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Although some rookies are a bundle of nerves, teammate Josh Nasser said he didn’t Tizzano to be one of them.
“Carlo backs himself to the hilt,” Nasser said. “He’ll be confident and excited and ready to rip in. I wouldn’t say he’ll be too flustered with nerves.
“I played with Carlo through the 20s set up and played against him a few times. There’s a few screws loose with old Carlo. He’s 100 per cent at training and 100 per cent on the field, so he’ll be a big asset for us.”
The Wallabies will need every bit of Tizzano’s confrontational manner in Saturday afternoon’s sold out clash in Brisbane to stand a chance against the Springboks.
Although Rassie Erasmus has picked a rookie fly-half in Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the Springboks coach has included nine players in the starting side that featured from the opening whistle in last year’s epic World Cup final.
“It is quite intimidating if you consider their personnel,” Schmidt said of the Springboks.
“At the same time, it’s never just individuals that can win you a game. We’ve got to collectively build a Wallabies team, squad and belief. Hopefully, there can be a little bit of a look at that on Saturday.”
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