Gabriele Rubini, in art Chef Rubio. Television phenomenon of recent years with the program "Unti e Bisunti" (now filming for the third season) Rubio was born a rugby player. In this capacity he is, in fact, a guest at the pre and post match of the Six Nations on DMAX in "Rugby Social Club" as a commentator. After going through all the youth selections of the Italian national teams, he played in the top blue league with various jerseys - Parma, Rome, Piacenza, Rovigo and Lazio - to then devote himself totally to his passion for cooking, graduating from the ALMA (Scuola di cucina italiana ).
What do you think of the controversy raised by the Times in the aftermath of the defeat of the Italian national rugby team against England?
"First you invite me home to magnà, and then there are no chairs for sitting down!". Joking aside, I don't agree at all that Italy should leave the Six Nations. I would understand more about a review of the entire structure of the tournament. Think, for example, of a sort of pre-tournament that selects six national teams every year who have earned access to the 6Nations and excludes those who are not strong enough. Talking about the mere exclusion of Italy simply doesn't make sense. However, personally, I like Italy. I remember when I was a kid and I saw the national team play. The game was different, less dynamic, all concentrated between the forwards. Now, especially thanks to young people, the game is often breezy and fun”.
Where do you think Italrugby's original problem lies?
“I'm not the one to say where the problem lies. I judge what I see: guys who take the field, always ready to give everything - often with great competence, certainly with a great desire to do for the team and for this sport. Certainly improvements can be made, especially as regards the selection and training of young people. Sport is growing a lot, the structures that accompany it must also grow. The effort is made by many, just think of what they are doing, for example, people like Paul Griffen and many other former athletes who believe in the Italian colors and are directly involved in the area. A stronger national team grows from the bottom up”.
Don't you think there is a strong gap between the national movement and the national representation of the blue XV?
“If I have to have my say, the theme of the gap can be linked to the theme of selection at the base. There are many people who could give their contribution because they experience the world of the oval ball from within it and throughout the Italian territory".
Do you think that the decision to establish the two franchises of Treviso and Zebre to make them military in the ProD12 foreign championship was useful for the growth of the Italian movement?
“The franchises are welcome, they are useful for gaining experience and raising the level of a group of players. The hope is that we are not limited to just these two basins. In my opinion, there are other sectors that are an equally real expression of the Italian movement to be kept under constant attention: Eccellenza, Serie A, Serie B and Serie C”.
What was your experience with the Italian national rugby team? Why wasn't your path to professional rugby (6 Nations and test matches)?
“From the Under 17 to the Under 20 national team, I went through the whole process of the national teams. Then, unfortunately, came the injuries. I missed the World Cup and the Six Nations with a radium fracture. The following year I had an even more unfortunate year on a physical level, and it was right not to risk pushing the rope too much. Once he was back in strength, the need to build an exaggerated physical structure began to emerge. Another round of injuries convinced me that my path would not have been that of professional rugby. My "opponents" at the time were Parisse, Zanni, Ghiraldini: not really smurfs, in short! If I could have my say on a technical level, on a physical level I could no longer compete - also and above all because of too many injuries. My role would have been different, and so I arrived at cooking and entertainment that I was able to combine with my oval passion".
Let's talk about the physical component. Don't you think it has become predominant with respect to that technique?
“In my opinion we are going in this direction and if we look around we can see that it is a particularly Italian peculiarity. Just think that in the New Zealand NPC championship the gym is left to personal training, while with the team you train only on the grass, to improve technical skills, specific skills and tactical skills”.
As you mentioned, you also played in New Zealand – the acquired homeland of world rugby. What differences did you find between the way of playing rugby in Italy compared to the New Zealand one – precisely in terms of movement and federal choices?
“Let's start by saying that our Eccellenza (then Top10) is significantly lower than the New Zealand first division championship (the level immediately below the NPC - the national championship of the country's provinces). Unpaid players who put passion into it like we do. This is the only thing we have in common. The differences come when you have to select the best ones. There whoever is really stronger wins. To speak only of my experience, I was selected for the first team immediately after half a game played great. The next time I didn't perform at the same level and was answered in the second team. And this is how it works for everyone, even for the captain: if you make a mistake he goes away, if you play well you get rewarded, for the good of the whole movement. It's a different approach but one that creates a constant tension that could also be positive for motivation”.
Do you think there is a sort of "territorial racism" in the selection processes that lead to the national team? It is, in fact, a given that the national squads are provided for the vast majority by players from the North-East – it also made us think that the debut of Visentin and Bacchin was rightly publicized with great pomp, while that of Bisegni is passed a bit on the sly. [Among other things, we take this opportunity to wish a speedy recovery to Bisegni, who suffered an injury to the anterior cruciate ligaments last week].
“As I said before, I am in favor of expanding the basin and in this sense the story of Bisegni can be an example of a different approach linked to territoriality. For my part, I can only hope that Bisegni takes a path as a true protagonist and that the decisions are primarily linked to a meritocratic principle that certainly rewards him and his performance".
How do you judge Brunel's choices from the November test matches to today?
“The coach is not discussed, as well as the referee. They both make their choices, and in both cases they bear the consequences – for better or for worse.”
What happened last Sunday against a France that didn't seem irresistible at all?
“It happened that you can't scuttle a team for a lost game, and then idolize it the following week for a win. It's mediocre behavior. Furthermore, the rain fomented French pride, marked by the boos of the last home match, while it mitigated the Italian ardor of the feat at Murrayfield. In any case, it's still France, and it's okay to lose."
How do you see Italy in the World Cup? Will we be able to earn the quarterfinals?
“In my opinion, if we show what we're really worth against Wales, we can get to the World Cup with the right competitive anger. A type of anger that can help us give that extra to try and face the quarterfinals. We must hope for the motivation of the youngsters, without overloading them with useless demands and expectations, also because their achievement cannot depend exclusively on their performance. Of course, if you win against the Welsh, you acquire an awareness of your potential and the passage of the round would be more at hand. A bad performance, on the contrary, would mean remaining in the limbo of unfinished eternities. The imperative can only be to work with our heads down, and maybe in October we'll finally play those two or three perfect matches and be able to celebrate a great result. Maybe".
