Martin Castrogiovanni accepts Italy will have to play the "perfect game" to beat England in Rome on Saturday.
Tigers prop hoping Azzurri can be inspired by 75,000 crowd
Martin Castrogiovanni accepts Italy will have to play the "perfect game" to beat England in Rome on Saturday.
The Azzurri will be roared on by a crowd of 75,000 in their first game in the Stadio Olimpico, as they bid to beat England for the first time.
"We are at home in front of 75,000 and such a crowd will give us great energy to play. As Latin people we are very proud of that," said the Leicester prop, who played in Italy's 30-12 defeat against France in their Six Nations opener in Paris on Saturday.
"But to win against England we have to play the perfect game and we cannot make too many mistakes, like we did against France last weekend.
"A lot of people think we have the opportunity to win but it's going to be a tough game, one of the most physical games to play because England have a massive big pack of forwards.
"England put a lot of pressure on at the scrum. They will attack us where we are strongest and we need to be prepared for them.
"If we are to win then we need to play the perfect game."
New era
While much has been made of England's new era under Stuart Lancaster, Italian rugby has also opened a new chapter this year under a new head coach.
Jacques Brunel has taken over from Nick Mallett, who Castrogiovanni believes would do well for England if he was appointed as Martin Johnson's permanent successor.
"I think it would be positive for England. I think he will be very good but you need to see because Stuart Lancaster is doing well," Castrogiovanni said.
"Italian rugby has changed. It has gone up a big level with two clubs playing in the Celtic League.
"It used to be a big game against Treviso or Calvisano. Now you play against Munster, Scarlets which makes every game a big game.
"Jacques Brunel has asked us to attack a little bit more. You saw that in the first 40 minutes against France. We are now trying to kick the ball less and not to be so conservative. This will take time to change but I think it's a good thing."
