Saints Q&A: Tom Vickers talks to Italy ace Edoardo Todaro

He has gone from not even knowing whether he would get into a Championship first team to starting against the Champions Cup holders in their own backyard in the space of just a few months.

It has been a truly whirlwind start to the season for the 19-year-old, who also earned his first Italy call-up earlier this season, despite having only made his senior Saints debut back on September 19.

Todaro, who only signed his first professional contract with Saints ahead of the start of this season, was on media duty this week as the ever-cheery back discussed what has been an incredible journey in the senior side so far.

Here is our question and answer session with him in full…

Q: How was your experience of Bordeaux last Sunday?

A: “It was good. We didn’t win but we got some noise out of it and we got to see a new city, so it was alright.”

Q: What was it like playing the European champions?

A: “They’ve got some crazy counter-attacks and the back three players were just unreal, so there are a lot of learnings that can be taken from that. But we’ve also got an awareness that we can definitely put our best foot forward next time and have a better chance against them. They’re good but we back ourselves as well.”

Q: What are European away trips like for a young player like yourself?

A: “It’s different because we get to travel together as a squad and have a bit of a bonding experience then it’s playing teams who speak a different language. The players speak English, French, a bit of a mix, and you see a different culture and eat different food, so I don’t mind that. The stadium (at Bordeaux) was different, the crowd was definitely a bit more actively involved in the game – they were just shouting the whole time, it was pretty unforgettable.”

Q: How is it playing in front of such big crowds on the big stage?

A: “It’s definitely different playing in front of 35,000 people watching than playing in front of 20 at my old school, but I’d say I don’t really pay too much attention to it. I just enjoy playing in front of a big crowd – I’d rather have them supporting me but if they’re against you, they’re against you. You can’t do much about it.”

Q: How was your time with Italy during the autumn?

A: “I played in one of Italy’s games and I was on the sidelines for two, and it was quite sick to just watch what happens with the crowd, because international games are obviously different from club games. The pressure is a bit bigger and the whole build-up to it is pretty cool to be part of.”

Q: How good was it to have Danilo Fischetti on international duty with you?

A: “It was good because it meant I had someone I could talk to and someone I knew. When you walk into a new environment, you don’t know anyone because most of the players already know each other from playing together for like 10 years or by playing at the same club. I walked in from a foreign club, which can be hard, but having him was definitely helpful. Like I said, he was someone to talk to and he introduced me to everyone, which was really nice.”

Q: Who’s been helping you most this season?

A: “I’d say everyone here has been really helpful. Everyone has been giving me tips on what to do, like Fin Smith saying ‘do that or chase this’, and really helping me out, then Freemo (Tommy Freeman) as well because he knows what he wants from playing on the wing. I know he’s been playing at 13 but he’s always helping me out. Then there’s the coaches like Sam Vesty, Jake Sharp who are just trying to get the best out of me.”

Q: How do you think you’ve improved as a player this season?

A: “I feel like my movement is getting much better off the ball. Obviously, I’d never played wing before and this was the first time being thrown into a new position and now I feel much more comfortable with what I’m doing. I think ‘I should move now’ or ‘I should do that’ and I feel like I’m taking more pride into it as well.”

Q: You obviously had a difficult moment when you got red carded in the opening couple of minutes at Bristol earlier this season. How was it dealing with that?

A: “That was definitely the biggest setback that I’ve had so far. I’ve just got to forget about it, I guess. It wasn’t easy but probably the worst moment was when it happened, but you’ve just got to look back at it and think ‘stuff happens, get on to the next job’.”

Q: Did your team-mates help you a lot with that?

A: “There was a lot of banter going around about it! They took the funny side of it and it was really helpful, just making jokes about it. I would have rather it hadn’t happened this early (in my career), but it’s probably for the best.”

Q: How much are you looking forward to playing the Scarlets on Sunday?

A: “I like playing in Europe because you’re playing against different outfits. It’s against teams you don’t usually play, with different playing styles, so it’s really enjoyable, and I love playing at the Gardens because it’s only three minutes from where I live, so I don’t have to hustle too much. I can just take it easy and then the crowd is amazing, so I just love playing here – it feels like a bit of a fortress.”

Q: What were you expecting from this season before the start of it?

A: “Obviously, I came in late because I was away at the world under-20s. I came in late, around mid-August and I had no clue what was going on. I had meetings when they said I was going to be sent out on loan and in my mind I was a bit unclear – it was going be a bit here, a bit at Bedford Blues, so I was like ‘I don’t really know – maybe I’m not even playing for Bedford Blues.’ But then I played in the first (Saints) friendly games and I started, and I was surprised at that because I had no clue I was going to start. I definitely wasn’t expecting it, I was just taking it as it happened and enjoying it.”

Q: How much did your try-scoring PREM debut against Exeter help your confidence?

A: “Getting a good debut was definitely something that increased my confidence and gave me that boost to just play with no regrets and go out there and enjoy it. That definitely helped and made everything a bit smoother, and then playing with great players as well made everything so much easier because you just follow them and then something good will happen.”

Q: How have the Italian players at Saints helped each other this season?

A: “I’d say we’ve all helped each other a lot because I was new as well (this season) but obviously I was more used to English ways. I guess they (Danilo Fischetti and Marco Manfredi) were taking pointers from me, but really this is my first year into professional rugby and they’d been playing for longer. It depends on the environment: rugby-wise it’s definitely them helping me, but with English life it’s probably me (helping them).”

Q: What is your highlight of the season so far?

A: “I’d definitely say it was getting the call-up from Italy for the autumn. I was really happy with that and then getting to run out (against Chile) as well for my debut was pretty sick.”

Q: How about that spectacular second try you scored against Harlequins?

A: “I was kind of surprised I scored that, to be fair! When I scored, I was just celebrating with the boys and I was like ‘no way this is actually happening.’ I was surprised and the whole stadium was as well, so that was cool. I’m not really much of a bumper as well – I’m more of a stepper – so I was wondering: ‘How have I done that?’”