Key to his mission statement are three home ties – starting this Sunday against Les Bleus – at the Stadio Olimpico.

Wales and Ireland will also visit the Italian capital – with Declan Kidney’s men still to taste defeat to the Azzurri in the RBS 6 Nations.

Brunel’s 14-month tenure has brought progress already, with the Frenchman guiding Italy back into the world’s top ten which earned them a place in Group D alongside RBS 6 Nations rivals France and Ireland for the 2015 World Cup.

But it’s the immediate future that is his pressing concern. He said: “We want to get to the point where beating a team such as France would be a normal possibility for us. We are full of confidence.

“Win as much as you can is at the base of every professional sport and we will try to win as many games as possible.”