After an opening hiding from the All Blacks, Italy is determined to get its rugby World Cup campaign off the ground against Romania on Wednesday night.
"Tomorrow's match will mark the beginning or end of our World Cup," captain Marco Bortolami told the press Tuesday.
"We're dead set on demonstrating we're better than we showed on Saturday," when Italy lost 76-14 to the tournament favourites.
"And we're convinced we're better than (Romania) when we play 100%.
"We can't wait to look our opponents in the eyes and give it our all. This time we won't fail. It'll be a great Italy," said Bortolami, whose side features several changes from the team crushed by the All Blacks.
Fly half Ramiro Pez and centre Gonzalo Canale return from shoulder injuries while scrum half Paul Griffen is in for Alessandro Troncon - who is among the reserves and bidding for his 99th cap.
Coach Pierre Berbizier was forced to make a last-minute change Tuesday when winger Marko Stanojevic pulled out with a leg injury to be replaced by Andrea Masi.
Berbizier told reporters Italy would be going all-out to secure the win that should set up a quarter-final qualification showdown with Scotland on September 29.
Getting a one-point bonus for scoring at least four tries, "would be nice but I don't see it as essential," Berbizier said.
"What I want is to get the best out of our resources so I want to see a different Italy this time.
"I know my team and I know it can play differently from our opening game. The biggest risk is to make the same mistake again and take the field without the right focus," said Berbizier.
The former France fly half is well aware that 13 of Romania's starting 15 play their club rugby in France and will feel like they're on home ground.
After the collapse of their domestic championship following the fall of rugby-loving dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, the Romanians are itching to relive the glory days when, between 1980 and 1991, the Oaks beat Italy six times, France three times, Wales twice and Scotland once.
"We feel we can pull off two wins, against Italy and Portugal," said captain Sorin Socol.
Romania edged the two sides' last official encounter in 2004 in Bucharest by 25-24, thanks to a last-minute penalty.
However, with ten minutes to play the Romanians were 22-to-five up.
But Italy is a radically different proposition these days, buoyed by their best-ever Six Nations result, fourth place, after achieving two wins for the first time in a single season, against Scotland and Wales.
Romania may have fallen far from its heyday and lost much of the French-like flair that helped it rack up a 69-0 win against Italy 30 years ago.
But, like Italy, it still boasts one of the most physical packs in the world.
Berbizier knows that the match, and Italy's World Cup fate, will be decided up front.
"It's going to be an out-and-out battle," he said.
