Replacing Crowley with Quesada in the summer of 2024?

Mathieu Warnier, Media365, Posted on Sunday, Jun 11, 2023 at 4:40 pm.

At the end of the contract in June 2024, Kieran Crowley could see Gonzalo Quesada replace him as Italy coach, according to information from Midi Olympique.

Gonzalo Quesada is a desirable man. After three seasons on the bench at Stade Français Paris, the Argentine technician was one of the victims of the grand laundering wanted by the owner of the capital club, Hans-Peter Wild. At the end of the World Cup, a duo composed of Laurent Labit and Karim Ghezal will take charge of the “Soldats Roses”, notably with Morgan Parra who will incorporate a very renewed squad. Now free of any commitment, the former international striker has attracted interest from several Top 14 squads, rejecting Perpignan’s bid, who then turned to Franck Azema to succeed Patrick Arlitaz. Lyon, where confidence in Xavier Garbajosa is limited, but Montpellier comes up with the information. However, according to information from the magazine Olympic backGonzalo Quesada will be more inclined to accept a challenge away from the Top 14, the tournament in which he has spent most of his coaching career.

Quesada ready to say ‘yes’ to Azzurra?

In fact, the Argentine technician has long been contacted by the leaders of the Italian Rugby Union. Franco Smith’s successor in May 2021, Kieran Crowley is under contract with Squadra Azzurra until June 2024 and will be on the Italian bench for the next World Cup. However, the New Zealand coach who passed by Benetton Treviso should not go further than his current term. In fact, an agreement has already been reached in principle between Italian rugby captains and Gonzalo Quesada to take charge of the Trans-Alpine selection from next summer. A proposal that fully meets the demands of the Argentine, who, before embarking on a new challenge, would like to take advantage of a few months of rest after three intense seasons in the capital. However, while Italy will face Namibia, Uruguay, then New Zealand and finally France XV during the World Cup group stage, the results of Squadra Azzurra could change the situation and hasten the downfall of Kieran Crawley.