This weekend Sara Barattin will become Italy Women’s all-time record appearance maker – and opposite number Leanne Riley knows that England will have to be on their toes to cope with the experienced scrum-half.
Barattin will win her 88th cap for the Azzurre, overtaking Michela Tondinelli, her former half-back partner, to become the all-time leader.
At Sandy Park on Saturday, it will be Riley’s task to keep the former Italy captain quiet, and the Harlequins scrum-half expects a real battle.
She explained: “It’s always nice to get the time, especially now we’re professional to analyse your opposite number.
“You can see what they do different to you, and how to counter their game. I’ve only ever played against her once at nine before because the other times I’ve played against Italy, it’s been in a different position.
“I know she’s a key player for them, like (Pauline) Bourdon was for France and it’s good to look at how you can stifle her and take her out of the game. She is a key player, we are aware of that and we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do to counteract that.”
Riley returns to the England line-up against Italy in the battle of the top two in the Women’s Six Nations.
She had started the clashes with Ireland and France but did not feature against Wales.
And with England three from three so far, and facing an Azzurre side that is also unbeaten, Riley is taking nothing for granted.
She added: “Every time I’ve played Italy, they have always been a side who have been unpredictable and you never know what they are going to bring. They will be full of confidence, especially after the Ireland win.
“They will take a lot from that game and coming over here, playing us on our turf, they won’t sit back and take it lightly. The squad are really looking forward to it.
“It’s going to be a massive challenge for us and one we’re all relishing.”
For Riley, this start is reward for her impressive performances so far, particularly with Natasha (Mo) Hunt now back playing XVs.
The vastly experienced Gloucester-Hartpury scrum-half started in Cardiff, with Riley now back to take on the Italians.
And Riley believes the competition that Hunt provides, along with Claudia MacDonald, is driving the team on.
She added: “We like healthy competition and obviously Mo is a great player. You’ve also got Claudia, who has switched to scrum-half too, so it’s nice to have a bit competition.
“I’d have preferred to have played against Wales because everyone wants to play every game. But with how robust the game is and as we put our bodies on the line in every game, it’s good to have that depth.
“It’s good for me as well, I know I’m not the finished article and I’ve got a lot to work on. Taking that into the team and seeing how can I do this better, with me and Mo, who are two different styles of players, we bring our edge to the team. I’m not going to sit back on my heels, that’s for sure.”
