Michael Reiner hopes a dream weekend for his family will be a sign of a turnaround in Australian and Italian rugby fortunes.
Five days before the Six Nations kicked off, Raina spent a Super Saturday watching her sons Tom and Louis achieve famous victories on different continents.
The Wallabies legend watched the show from Rome as flyhalf Tom helped the Queensland Reds continue their strong start to the Super Rugby Pacific campaign with a 25-19 victory over the in-form Chiefs at Suncorp Stadium. .
Louis crossed on his debut.
He then stormed into the Stadio Olimpico, setting up Rui for a try and making his Italian debut as the Azzurri shocked Scotland 31-29.
“A friend wrote to me last night: “When I went to Treviso in 1991, I couldn't imagine dreaming that I was sitting in Rome watching my son play for Italy.'' Did you?'' Raina said.
“He said he could write his own ticket to match the odds he could get.”
“It was certainly a great occasion and with Tom in Brisbane, it was a special day for the family.”
Australian rugby is recovering from a disastrous World Cup under coach Eddie Jones, but Italy have finished bottom of the Six Nations for the past eight years.
The future looks rosier for both sides after a weekend in which Italy leapfrogged Wales in Saturday's Wooden Spoon decider, leaving the Reds three points clear of the top spot.
Lina Senior has followed the travails of Italian rugby ever since he arrived in northern Italy, not knowing a soul or speaking the language, fresh from helping Australia win the 1991 World Cup.
☑️ First test.
☑️Let's try it first!🙌 Great moment for Luis Raina! #Guinness M6N #ITAvSCO pic.twitter.com/BWJeoWsvnw
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) March 9, 2024
He has seen the abyss of the Azzurri when they were denied entry into the Five Powers when they had a semblance of respectability, and then when they were belatedly admitted. It's here.
Things are finally changing under new head coach Gonzalo Quesada. Italy narrowly missed out on victory against England, but ended in a draw against France.
Now, with the help of a try from Riner Jr. heading to Benetton, he has finally crossed the line.
“Only winning gives you that belief,” Michael said. “Until we do that, it's going to be, 'We've regained ground and it's going to happen again, we're going to lose.' Whereas good teams think the opposite. Even when they are at a disadvantage, they think they can still win, and often do.
“It was great to see the 70,000-strong crowd on Saturday, excited in Italian style, and the team's great performance.
“It was tough for them, really tough. But I never doubted that they should be in the championship. Support is strong in Italy, but it wanes a little in other countries. You may.
“Look at the Scotland game,” he added. “Then it was on the front page of the mainstream newspapers Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport. That's quite important.
“The Prime Minister was also in the dressing room, the Minister of Sport was there, the sponsors were there. Even the taxi drivers in Rome knew that the match was taking place. It captured the imagination of the whole country.”
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It's been three years since Louie's two-try late performance helped Harlequins win the Premiership Final at Twickenham, and Raina is proud that the older of her two sons played such a big role. Mr. Miss.
“He's had two knee surgeries, so it's been a pretty tough time for him since then,” his father said. “And this last period with Quins, I was a little disappointed with the way they treated him and stuff like that.
“But, you know, one door closes and another opens. Quins didn't offer him anything, but he was there for 10 years. For a young person, suddenly someone needs you. It's hard not to.
“At 23 years old, it's been an interesting change of direction. Louis speaks Italian and is going to go back to where he was born. But you're a little bit out of your comfort zone.
“It was a difficult decision, but now he has made it and is working on making sure it is the right decision.”
Familia Benvenuto 🫶
🧢Louis #RainaAzzurro Numero 741#ItalRugby #ITAvSCO#Inseam #RugbyPassionNeitaliana pic.twitter.com/Dq8vyiWHoH
— Ital Rugby (@Federugby) March 11, 2024
Louis might have played for England if Jones had capped him rather than just adding him to the squad. Considering his family background, Australia was also an option.
Instead, he will choose his hometown at a time when the Wallabies are preparing to rebuild after the humiliation of missing out on a group exit at the World Cup in France and making history.
“The autumn hasn't been great for the Wallabies, so I hope what Australian rugby is seeing now is a sign of things getting better,” Raina Senior said.
“What with the World Cup and all the crap that was going on there, it comes from a pretty low ebb.
The shackles broke a little.
“But on the field, I feel like that shackles have been lifted a little bit. There's still a lot of work to do, but the players are saying, “Okay, let's do it.''
“There's a bit of optimism about the team we're playing at the moment. We've got some good young players, we've got Joe Schmidt and a new performance director and advisors, so we're slowly starting to turn the corner. I wish.''
With just over a year to go until they face the British and Irish Lions, Raina knows there is no time to waste.
“We have to be competitive and perform really well against the Lions,” he added. “And I think we can do that.
“The players are there. It's important that all the off-field personnel support them and get them into the right mindset and position to really perform.”
read more: World ranking: Italy's famous win surpasses the Wallabies for the first time
