Wakarua brings a new sport to the Eternal City - Pom bashing

For confirmation that everyone is out to knock spots off the world champions, look no further than Italy's fly-half. "Yeah," says Rima Wakarua, "it's always a pleasure to get stuck into you Poms." Different background, same sentiment. This is la dolce vita with a Kiwi accent, mate.

When Wakarua is in Rome, it means doing as John Kirwan, Italy's coach, and the likes of forwards Matt Phillips and Scott Palmer in the recent past have done. Call it flying under a flag of convenience if you will, but Wakarua prom-ises to be as thirsty for English blood as any son of Treviso or Rovigo. "I'm excited about playing England," he said. "It's a good opportunity to play them first up, they'll have a few cobwebs to get rid of before they hit their straps.

"With Jonny Wilkinson and Neil Back out, and the captain gone, there's three major players missing who could control the game, and anything could happen. Maybe we'll catch them by surprise, see them make a few errors. That's the hope, anyway."

Wakarua's story has been one of hopeful travel and remarkable arrival. A 27-year-old son of New Zealand-born parents, he left for Italy in 1999 with an invitation to join his old club coach, Matthew Vaea, at Leonessa. Wakarua had a maternal grandmother from Scotland, but when he got around to seeking a British passport on that basis, he found the rules had been tightened and, without a grandfather to qualify him, the application was a non-starter.

The UK's loss proved to be Italy's gain: after completing three years' residency, Waka-rua was called up by Kirwan from the second division for a sensational Test debut in the World Cup last October. He kicked off with 19 points against Tonga, and collected 50 in total in three matches.

"It was always my intention to go overseas at some stage," Wakarua said, "but not before I'd got my qualification." His target was a degree in horticulture, and his studies were divided between technical college and the Waitemata golf club in Devonport, in sight of the high-rises of Auckland.

A fair number of rugby players boast a decent handicap; not many know what goes into maintaining a decent fairway. Has Wakarua kept his hand in while in Europe? "Well, I've cut a few lawns but that's about it. I think I'd prefer to open a bar or a shop."

While avoiding the temptation to discuss the finer points with the Flaminio groundsman, Wakarua is determined to enjoy his debut on "home" turf. He has yet to play against an English side, of any description. "It's something to look forward to," he said. "There'll be a full crowd, with lots of Italians for a change."

What about learning the national anthem, which was a problem before the World Cup? "Oh yeah, we've got that sorted. It's Griffen who's got the cassette going. He sings it in the shower every day." A chuckle is the clue that Paul Griffen, Italy's new scrum-half covering for the injured Alessandro Troncon, is enjoying the name-check.

Griffen, 28, hails from New Zealand's South Island. In other circumstances, he and Wakarua might have been at each other's throats in a North Harbour v Canterbury match. Today, all that will tell them apart is Wakarua's neat haircut, hidden beneath his head protector, contrasted with Griffen's lavish dreadlocks and the biggest sideburns this side of the 1970s. The pair are near-neighbours in Brescia, where Wakarua lives with Silvia, his girlfriend of two-and-a-half years.

"He's a pretty laid-back guy," said Wakarua of his new team-mate. In fact, according to Grant Doorey, Italy's defence coach, both half-backs are "laid-back, like all the Kiwis I've worked with, but passionate about their rugby". Doorey, by the way, is an Australian. A third Kiwi crossover, Aaron Persico, has been told by Kirwan he must play better than any Italian-born rival to keep his position. Not much to worry about for Wakarua. With Diego Domin-guez retired and Ramiro Pez dropped, his understudy is Roland de Marigny, a South African.

Asked for a New Zealand parallel in his game, Wakarua sees himself as "more Carlos Spencer than Grant Fox", which may signal profitable times for the threequarters. But his Fox-like accuracy with the boot will scarcely be undervalued by Kirwan.

Against Tonga, Wakarua supplied five penalties and two conversions in a 36-12 win which Italy regarded as their best World Cup performance. If the Azzurri pack can do the necessary from tee to green this afternoon, Wakarua should at least be capable of knocking in the putts.