Unique: Riccioni ‘embracing the pain’ in bid for Saracens glory
M
arco Riccioni repeats the mantra, extolling the double-edged virtues of life as a tight-head prop.
“Embrace the pain,” the Saracens scrum cornerstone declares. And in three phrases, the Italy star encapsulates each his rugby maxim and the mindset required. Riccioni talks about studying to like a backbone compressed in rugby’s technical, tactical however at all times gladiatorial set-piece scrum.
The 25-year-old, who on Friday signed a brand new two-year deal to remain on the StoneX, might so simply be discussing Teramo and L’Aquila’s restoration from the 2009 earthquake that killed greater than 300 individuals, ravaged a neighborhood and ruined scores of historic buildings.
Riccioni was 11 when the quake hit, a younger centre at L’Aquila watching senior gamers and workers clearing rubble and wreckage, then rebuilding.
The Azzurri front-rower was simply six video games into his Saracens profession final time period when a torn ACL on Test obligation ended his season. Forced to observe final time period’s 15-12 Premiership Final defeat by Leicester from the Twickenham stands, Riccioni now desires to repay Saracens’ religion via that damage in terms of Saturday’s showdown in opposition to Sale Sharks.
“You have to love the scrum, you can’t play there if you don’t love it,” Riccioni advised Standard Sport. “Embrace the pain, you have to. I enjoy what I’m doing, I love playing tight-head.
You have to love the scrum, you can’t play there if you don’t love it
“I played centre as a kid, but moved to prop at Under-16s. I was the biggest guy in the group, so I was straight into the front row!”
Riccioni’s L’Aquila junior membership is not any extra, one other sufferer of rugby’s powerful local weather. But simply because the individuals of the area proceed to rebuild a passionate city and space, so, too, the Saracens prop believes there is usually a reconstruction for the well-known outfit.
“The earthquake had a huge impact, but the rugby boys at the time were the first ones to be helping the people out,” stated Riccioni. “L’Aquila has always been a big rugby city, they are really big rugby fans there.
“Unfortunately, in the last couple of years, they disappeared as a team. But they have a lot of rugby boys doing well, so, hopefully, in the next five, 10 years we’ll see something coming up from L’Aquila. It’s not easy, but we’ll see.
“The earthquake changed a lot of things there. It will take time to rebuild the city and all the things. When things like that happen, the city and people come first, and then sports after that.”
Riccioni was on the scoresheet for Italy in opposition to England at Twickenham within the Six Nations
/ Getty ImagesRiccioni had solely simply began to make his presence felt at Saracens when that ligament tear occurred. Relieved and delighted to have settled into his StoneX rhythm this time period, the previous Calvisano and Benetton man has locked down Saracens’ tight-head aspect in type.
“It’s been a long year, and a long road back from injury before that,” he stated. “I’m so happy we’re in the final and I have a chance to play. I was loving being there last year, but hating not being on the field. It was awful not being able to help the boys.
“I takes a bit to come back to your top level, so I was so glad to play in this year’s Six Nations, and that helped me get to my best again.
“The knee was my first big injury. The medical staff, the boys and all the coaches, they’ve been amazing. They helped me so much, so I’m very happy to be able to give something back now. Hopefully, I can pay them back this weekend.”
Two years into Saracens life, Riccioni is lastly attending to grips with the English lifestyle.
“I still miss the sun, but now the days are getting better, there’s a bit of sun out, so I’m enjoying that,” stated Riccioni. “But I am settled and feel at home. I feel I’m actually half-English now!
“It is very different from Italy. We don’t have the same rhythm of life, the guys here work very, very hard. I wouldn’t say we don’t work hard in Italy, but maybe in Italy we are a bit more chilled.
“I can see little differences, and that’s actually made the main difference for me, working-wise. You grow up playing in a style how the Italians teach me. So, I’ve come here, see how the English boys play, you see different things and you can just learn about that.”