The 29-year-old was one of the stars of the tournament two years ago, and was part of the Barbarians squad to take on New Zealand later that year - the only European player to receive a call.

But 2006 has so far been a different story for the prop, who frequently found himself warming the Azzurri bench during the recent tournament.

''It has been a peculiar RBS 6 Nations for myself, Lo Cicero said.

I've played few minutes in the field and had few occasions to make something positive in the games.

I restrained the desire to throw myself infield to support my friends in the difficult moments, to push in a scrum, to tackle a famous opponent when he flew in to score.

But I must respect my manager's choice, and my devotion to the Azzurri cause is such that I will not allow myself to complain.