Menoncello, a promising footballer who played against Juventus’ youth team before his sporting interests turned oval, used to watch Brex from the stands.
He was 18 when he got a close-up view, having been called into Treviso’s senior side as injury cover.
“‘Nacho’ was the first guy to bring me into the squad and he has always brought me under his wing,” recalls Menoncello.
For his part, Brex remembers the impression the teenage Menoncello left on his new, older colleagues.
“Everyone just said ‘wow’. He was like he is now. We realised he can do super things, he has superpowers. It was really exciting.”
They have been inseparable ever since.
Since Menoncello recovered from a shoulder injury that kept him out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, they have been the starting centre combination for 13 of Italy’s subsequent 14 games.
They fill the same spots for their club, greasing their combination to a slick shine.
“We are together in training, in the dressing room, at backs sessions, in the gym,” says Brex. “Maybe I spend more time with him than with my family! That’s the truth!”
That proximity is part of Italy’s power. They have fewer players, but also fewer club patterns to unpick.
Brex and Menoncello are two of 16 Treviso players in Italy’s Six Nations squad.
“I know him as a player and person much better than if I had to play with a guy from another club,” says Brex.
“It is not the same feeling as playing with the person you meet every single day – that is a good part of our game.”
Brex and Menoncello see the same strength in another portmanteau midfield: ‘Huwipulotu’, otherwise known as Glasgow and Scotland first-choice centres Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones.
Menoncello broke out of the collective last year though, becoming only the second Italian to win the Six Nations player of the tournament award.
“I want to prove myself and prove to the world that I can be at that level and can further improve my game,” he says.
“It is hard though. For sure, there is more attention on me, I see the teams defending me, watching me, expecting those runs.”
