Box office Rigoni ready to translate WXV form onto English stage

By Paul Eddison

Rugby may be the ultimate team sport but there are certain players who are worth the price of admission on their own.

Italy magician Beatrice Rigoni certainly falls into that category and fans in England will get the chance to see her up close in Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby after her summer move to Sale Sharks.

Capable of playing at fly-half or inside centre, Rigoni has been a mainstay of the Italy side for nearly a decade, having made her debut as a teenager back in 2014.

With a box of tricks at her disposal, Rigoni is impossible to miss on the field, throwing outrageous no-look passes and glorious offloads whenever the ball comes her way.

Now, at the age of 28, she has decided the time is right to step out of her comfort zone, and will join Sara Tounesi at Heywood Road, where she will play under Katy Daley-McLean and Rachael Taylor, two former opponents at Six Nations level for England and Wales respectively.

Explaining why this was the right move for her, Rigoni said: “I’ve been thinking about it for a while. It was an idea that I’d had and for a few reasons, it hadn’t been the right time. Contrary to on the pitch, in my life away from rugby, I don’t take hasty decisions. I have my routine and a comfort zone.

“But this summer felt like the right time to move on from the niche I had in my club and my life. I’ll be able to test myself in a completely different environment. I will be starting again from zero. I wanted to see if I was capable of doing it as an athlete and as a person. We will see!”

Those looking forward to seeing Rigoni in action will have to wait until the end of WXV – World Rugby’s new international competition, which is serving to revolutionise the global women’s rugby landscape.

Italy are in level two, competing alongside Scotland, Samoa, USA, Japan and hosts South Africa, and have kicked off the competition by beating the latter pair.

Rigoni has been at the heart of everything, as she always is, providing the polish and touches of class in attack.

But while most know her for the exceptional skill she produces on a regular basis, Rigoni explained that much of her focus on the pitch is reining in her maverick side.

She explained: “When I play, I tend to play what I feel, it’s more instinct than a specific game plan. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. When it works, it looks great, when it doesn’t not so much. The challenge is to make sure that what happens is effective. I have to strike a balance between the two things. Sometimes I take risks that don’t come off so I have to try to find the right answer.

“I’m constantly having to tell myself not to try things. That’s the truth. Luckily, I have girls around me who help me and it might look easy at times, but it’s because sometimes I’ll make mistakes and the team are there to make up for it. So a lot of praise should go their way in what I do.”