Marius Goosen, who has served as Italy’s assistant coach for eight years, will reportedly leave the team on a high note to take up a coaching job in Japan.
According to Sunday newspaper Rapport, Italy’s victory over Wales in the final round of the Six Nations on Saturday will be Goosen’s last as the team’s defence coach.
The win in Cardiff, Italy’s second of the campaign, saw the Azzurri avoid the Six Nations wooden spoon for the first time since 2015. It came a week after Italy ended an 11-year wait for a home win in the tournament by beating Scotland 31-29 in Rome.
Goosen, a former flyhalf who played for Viadana, Rugby Roma and Benetton in Italy, retired in 2010 and went into coaching under Franco Smith at Benetton.
“From an emotional point of view, the Scotland game was special for me because it was my last home game,” Goosen told Rapport.
“We’ve come so close to winning against Scotland for the last eight years, but we just couldn’t win. In the end we managed it in my last game at home.
“We (Italy) have come a long way with this team. It’s a young bunch of guys. They work really hard and the results are a good reward for what they have put in over the past three years.”
Photo: Danilo Di Giovanni/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
