"I'd actually prefer Italy to win, than England" – Why former Bristol Bears scrum half Andy Uren is supporting Italy in the 2025 Six Nations

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Former Bristol Bears scrum half Andy Uren will be backing Italy for the 2025 Men’s Guinness Six Nations, and is hopeful that Gonzalo Quesada’s side have what it takes to record some memorable victories in this year’s competiton. Uren ended his decade long tenure with Bristol in 2023, where he joined Benetton Treviso and quickly developed a passion for all things Azzurri.

Uren has been settling well into life in Northern Italy, where he battles against Italian-capped scrum half Alessandro Garbisi for Benetton’s nine jersey. Uren trains alongside an assortment of stars from the Italy side, with the likes of captain Michele Lamaro and the midfield duo of Tomasso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex piecing together a strong contingency of Quesada’s top names.

Having immersed himself within Italian rugby, Uren admitted in an exclusive interview with Ruck, that he is in fact backing Italy over his homeland of England in the upcoming 2025 Men’s Guinness Six Nations.

“I think I actually prefer Italy to win than England, because I train with them. I know them personally. So, I think it means a lot. They’re all great people, which is the main thing. So for me, again, when the Six Nations happens, I’m always ‘Forza Italia!'”

“I think they’re world class. They’ve got so much experience. I think Tom Menoncello, when he finishes his career, might be the best Italian of all time. He’s still so young and strong and powerful.”

“I’m very fortunate. I think Benetton is probably the most beautiful place in the URC to play, in the north of North of Italy. I think everyone’s been very welcoming since I’ve been there for the last 18 months, but now I’ve been trying to bring my experience to Benetton. I think, you know, we’ve got some great players, so many internationals throughout. So if I can add that little bit of extra, it will hopefully make a big difference. I’ve been very welcomed, and it’s a pretty nice place to live, especially in the summer.”

Uren has brought a wealth of experience to the Benetton set-up, where he is bestowing some of his finest teachings upon 22-year-old scrum half Alessandro Garbisi. Uren expressed how whilst he provides some useful insight to the Italian halfback, Garbisi returns the favour with some fresh ideas, that makes the competition for the Benetton nine shirt a mutually beneficial contest.

“‘Ali’ is so good. He is young, he’s electric. So if I can try and help with experience, and he’s in the Six Nation squad. He’s young, and he can really push for the position. So I think it’s good for me and him to battle it out for the starting nine. I think there’s only going to be one direction, and that’s up. So I try and help him, and he keeps me on my toes. So it’s really good, a really good combination.”

With the focus remaining on the Six Nations, Uren pivoted the scope back to England, and expressed how he believes in his former Bristol teammate Harry Randall to be Steve Borthwick’s starting scrum half. Randall was named alongside Northampton Saints man Alex Mitchell and Leicester Tigers halfback Jack van Poortvleit, as the three scrum halves in the 2025 Six Nations training squad. Having trained alongside Randall and wrestled for the nine shirt for five years at Ashton Gate, Uren stands in good stead to back his former teammate to lead the England attacking line.

“I think Rands is easily good enough to pay for England. I think it’s the game plan that Steve Borthwick wants to play, that might not suit him as much. But for me, Rands would be in the 23 every week. He brings so much more than the other nines and not I’m not saying that because he’s my friend. I’m saying that because you can see the stats.

“So for me, he’s (Borthwick) all about game plan. Obviously Rands doesn’t fit the perfect game plan of Steve Borthwick, where Ben Youngs and van Poortvleit did. But for me, Rands should be playing every single week for England.”

Uren recently returned to Bristol, as Benetton took on the Bears in the third round of the Investec Champions Cup. The scrum half admitted that it was an emotional journey back through his home city, with all the memories flooding back to him as he neared in on Ashton Gate. A stalwart of ‘BS3’ for 10 years, Uren enjoyed a rollercoaster of emotions in Benetton’s narrow defeat to Bristol, which included the scrum half having a try disallowed in the first half.

“It was surreal. I think I was here for so long, like you said, and all my family and friends are here. So it was emotional driving in, I was nervous for the first time in a while. It was a special game, but gutted for us not to get result at the end, fair play to Bristol for winning the game.”

“I’m going to see some of them (Bristol players) later. We’ll see them at the food now, but I caught up with Pat (Lam) for about an hour just in the barbers funnily enough. Bumped into him on Friday, but I still stay in contact with Pat. He still messages me a lot, and we still talk a lot. So he’s a mentor for me. I think he will be for what he done for me, for my career. So he’s more of a friend and a mentor than a coach now, his knowledge and his experiences are amazing.”

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