After a disappointing World Cup campaign in which the Azzurri crashed out in the group stages, Treviso have offered some glimmer of hope with impressive showings in the RaboDirect PRO12 and now Europe’s elite competition with a 31-26 success over the two-time Heineken Cup runners-up.

And after new head coach Jacques Brunel, replacing Nick Mallett, stated that his ambition is to win the 2012 RBS 6 Nations, the victory couldn’t have come at a better time for the Italian game.

Smith said: “That [win] will do so much for Italian rugby.

“We had to break the ice of winning in the Heineken Cup – we had not won a game in two years – so this really was a huge win for the club and the game in Italy.

“It demonstrated that Italian sides can be competitive at this level and that we are in the Heineken Cup on merit. Now we have to keep on working hard to maintain the momentum built up from the draw against the Ospreys and this win.

“All credit to Biarritz, they are a top team and they tried to lift the pace and force penalties, and they certainly showed their hunger for success.

“But we hung on well after leading 27-12 and demonstrated how much they want to win. The determination of all the players was behind this win.”