IT TAKES something special for an Italy back-three player to steal the limelight from Ange Capuozzo, but that is precisely what Pierre Bruno produced just after the Autumn Nations Series loss to South Africa in November.
Long before the 26-year-old Zebre winger beckoned his partner Jessica down from the stands and onto the playing surface on the pretext of sharing a post-match photograph, the day was already destined to be lodged front and centre in his memory bank.
The game was played in Bruno’s home city, Genoa, in front of a crowd featuring dozens of his friends and family. The stadium itself, the rickety yet wonderfully atmospheric Stadio Luigi Ferraris, had been the scene of plenty of childhood trips with his grandfather, cousins and pals to watch Sampdoria in Serie A action. Then came the proposal with which he took away partner Jessica’s breath, not to mention that of an enthralled live and TV audience.
“I’m quite an emotional person,” he explains. “I had bought the ring a few days previously. After
