Seems fair enough.

Italy head coach Conor O’Shea is back home in Ireland this week, as he prepares to take on his own national side for the very first time at the Aviva Stadium.

He will likely catch up with friends and family while here. But only when his schedule allows; this is a working week and his aim is to see his Italian side defeat Ireland on their home soil for the very first time in the Six Nations.

Ahead of the big game, O’Shea made an appearance on The Clubhouse last night, and revealed a brilliant deal he made with the Italian players when he first took over back in 2016. O’Shea was asked about how he communicates with the players in Italian and he said:

“I’d like to say brilliantly in Italian. I try as much as I can”

“I went to a week long intensive course in Florence earlier in the year. Eight hours a day, one on one, doing various bits, so it was a tough 40-hour week.”

“I still make terrible mistakes. I dread thinking back to my first press conference and I tried it in Italian and it was awful. But the only way you can do it is trying.”

“And it’s nice to learn a new language and hopefully I’m getting better.”

As for the deal, O’Shea has put it to the players, that after four years of working with them his Italian will be good, and he’s challenged them for their rugby to be even better.

“We kind of made a deal at the start of the four years.”

“After four years my Italian will be good. And after four years their rugby will be even better.”