Following her appearance against South Africa in WXV, Mastrangelo missed the 2024 Guinness Women's Six Nations due to injury, but she's now raring to go for Italy U20 in the new Parma-based competition.
October 20, 2023 in Cape Town was undoubtedly an emotional and memorable day for her. At the 34th minute, she came on for Francesca Granzotto - one of coach Giovanni Raineri's first experiments as the team pondered life after Sofia Stefan - putting the Treviso native from Capitolina, usually a wing or fullback, at number nine.
A shoulder injury led to her clubmate taking over, and Mastrangelo remained on the bench against the USA in the final match of the new WXV competition in group 2, which will return to the Rainbow Nation at the end of September.
It was a game with three full debuts in the blue jersey, including flanker Elena Errichiello and utility back Sofia Catellani. Tension was fortunately eased by a bit of fun when a peculiar incident occurred just minutes before taking the field.
"Last year, new smart mouthguards were tested to measure the possibility of a concussion," Mastrangelo explains. "I started the warm-up with it in my sock as I usually do, and during an exercise, I went to the ground, which confused the data transmission.
"At that point, the staff and match officials called my name, saying I had to undergo the HIA protocol without even being on the field.
"Before I could even laugh about it, they called my name again, but this time I saw Francesca on the ground, and it was my turn to get on the pitch. It was very surreal, but it helped ease the tension: I don't know how it would have gone otherwise."
In addition to a memorable experience with a debut victory of 18-36 two subsequent victories, finishing second behind Scotland only on points difference, friendships and camaraderie flourished among the Azzurre - especially with Colorno prop Alessia Pilani.
As Mastrangelo says: "Alessia was a find. Like me, she recently got injured [knee injury]. Before heading to Parma, I'll visit her at her home in Imola. South Africa was a wonderful adventure, and I didn't expect to bond so well with my teammates. What I realized is that, despite any difficulties, there's always someone ready to lend a hand, which is not a given, especially from the older players who have much more maturity than I do.
"Now I'm training hard to return soon. I hope the experience with the U20s helps, because I still need many more matches."
In South Africa, new friendships were forged, and a nickname emerged. If 'Nicky' seems an obvious short form of Nicole, 'Gattina' might be more cryptic. "It's Alissa Ranuccini's fault," she laughs. "Crocheting is one of my hobbies, and I brought yarn with me. When she saw it, she started calling me 'Gattina', like a cat playing with yarn. I started crocheting out of boredom during the pandemic. I like a lot of things, but especially making baby clothes."
Rumour has it that she gave a crocheted flower to teammates and staff at the end of the tour. The perfect face, then, for the Italian Rugby Federation's campaign in this year's Guinness Women's Six Nations, 'Io faccio la maglia' - to combat stereotypes and prejudices in women's sports.
Another chance to wear the senior national team jersey could have come this year during the recent Championship, but a hand injury - a fracture of the second metacarpal, to be specific - in one of the last training sessions before Italy's opening match against England prevented her from participating. A swift surgery gave her mobility in the limb, allowing her to play the last two matches with her team, Capitolina. Now, she's ready for the Women's Summer Series in Italy, where the former Lazio player should be a key player.
"I've been lucky these past few years. Being born in 2003, I couldn't join the U18 team and risked jumping straight from youth to senior," Mastrangelo says. "The U20 team helps bridge that gap, and I'm happy it signifies the growth of the movement and provides opportunities past players didn't have.
"I don't talk much about dreams, but I set short-term goals that help achieve long-term ones, like playing for the national team. The U20s can be a step toward that. The national team is an emotion, a reward for all the sacrifices made since childhood."
Nicole's journey, like many Italian players, started at age seven in Lazio, influenced by her older brother Emiliano and later by her twin, Edoardo. At U8s, she won the Trofeo Topolino, the pinnacle of mini rugby in Italy. Just before the second year of U12, the last where boys and girls could play together, she moved to Capitolina with Edoardo. At 12, with no women's teams in Lazio, she trained almost alone until her mum Debora rallied local girls to form the Capitolina women's section.
In Parma's Stadio Lanfranchi, home of Italian women's rugby, Mastrangelo will face Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in the Women's Summer Series. They played Scotland and Ireland last year in L'Aquila's Tri-Nations U20, winning both games.
"We know a bit about these teams, but we will all be different this year. It should motivate us. Hearing the national anthem in L'Aquila filled me with pride and emotions."
She hopes to emulate her idol, Marcus Smith: "He's creative. I saw him do amazing things at Twickenham. I like players who think outside the box. I'm not at that level, but I try to play instinctively."
