Italy captain Sergio Parisse is backing new fly-half Tommaso Allan to prove a hit ahead of their RBS 6 Nations opener against Wales.
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Italian-born Allan, who played for Scotland at Under-20s level, will make his first start in the competition in Cardiff on Saturday.
The 20-year-old grew up in Henley, has a Scottish father and his uncle also played for Scotland but it is with the Azzurri that he is now looking to make his mark on the international scene.
And Parisse, who will lead Italy out in Cardiff tomorrow, believes the young fly-half can carve out a bright future with the country of his birth.
“We hope in Tomasso we have the quality to give good things to the team and to the other young players in the side,” he said.
“We have a couple of interesting young players, like him, who showed in November they have good qualities. They need all the support of the team.
“No.10 is a position a lot of players have played in over the last few years, but never played consistently more than three four games.
“It’s a position where we are looking for a good young player to be able to play for a lot of years in that position. It’s a crucial role for any team.”
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