Danilo Fischetti believes there’s no better place for him in world rugby than at Northampton Saints, after making a fast start to life at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
The Italian loosehead prop arrived in the summer from United Rugby Championship side Zebre and has clocked up eight appearances already, including two starting roles as the men in Black, Green and Gold picked up a maximum ten-point haul from Investec Champions Cup wins over Pau and Vodacom Bulls.
“I’m really enjoying Northampton,” he said. “I’ve come here to play rugby and I think this is the best spot in the world for me at the moment.
The 27-year-old has no shortage of fellow countrymen within his new surroundings. Academy graduate Eduardo Todaro – who gained his first senior cap for the Azzurri during the Autumn internationals – was already in the squad. Soon after Fischetti arrived in Northampton, his good friend Marco Manfredi was added to the Club’s hooker resources.
“The group is very good, the guys have brought me inside their family,” he said. “Edo speaks very good English and he’s teaching me and Marco a lot!”
Fischetti debuted for Italy in 2020 and moved to 58 caps during the recent international period, when he played a key role in a win for the Azzurri over Australia as well as a battling defeat to World Champions South Africa.
He said: “I really enjoyed my time away with Italy. Some of the Italian supporters told me that they see me playing in a different way than before, and I think that’s good for me.
“I usually used to tackle very low and here we go a little bit higher, and that’s been the big change for me. All the coaching staff are really good, they always give me some feedback every time after training.”
Fischetti and his Saints teammates will be seeking to continue their fine form when Gallagher PREM rugby returns to cinch Stadium on Saturday, with Sale Sharks coming to town.
Fischetti added: “We know Sale have really good players, but we come from two wins in a row in the Champions Cup. We need a win with five points to reach the top of the table.”