ROME (AP) Year after year, despite loss after loss, he keeps coming back.
There's no doubt Sergio Parisse is the greatest rugby player to represent Italy. The No. 8's athleticism and vision have made him a talisman for the side since his debut in 2002 in New Zealand.
Yet a couple of contrasting milestones will mark his appearance on Saturday when he captains Italy against Scotland in Rome.
Parisse will equal Brian O'Driscoll's record of 65 appearances in the Six Nations.
And if Italy happens to lose, it will be his 100th test defeat. Nobody comes close to that figure.
Both numbers underline his durability. And a deep passion for the Azzurri.
''I'm proud of them, and I'm the first who will continue to work, go forwards, encourage them, help them,'' Parisse says.
The arrival of Conor O'Shea as the coach in 2016 is said to have encouraged Parisse to play on. Parisse has bought into O'Shea's vision and ambition to improve Italian rugby from the clubs up, and O'Shea has been grateful that Parisse has continued to set the example as a professional and leader.
Rather than be disheartened by Italy's unrelenting defeats, Parisse has regarded each match as a step closer to the team eventually becoming consistently respected, even feared, like it was in the 1990s.
''I am convinced, as I've told them, that all these matches will help them to get experience,'' he says. ''Because also when I was 18, 19 years old, I was part of a group where there were more experienced players.
''I wasn't a captain then, I was just another member of the squad. We lost matches and they helped me improve as a player, to grow, and it's the same for these lads. Today, at 34 years old, my job is to always be close to them, to be an example to them, and I'm proud, and I say that with all my heart.''
It is in order to get that experience that O'Shea has again made just one change to his starting lineup, bringing in Gloucester flanker Jake Polledri for the injured Maxime Mbanda.
Italy is already guaranteed of finishing last for a third consecutive year but it's keen to avoid a whitewash.
The Azzurri's last victory in the Six Nations came against Scotland in 2015. If it loses on Saturday, it will be the 17th in a row, tying the record by France in the 1920s.
''We are here to win, to be competitive in each match,'' O'Shea says. ''We're not yet at the level of our opponents, but we're not far off either.
''The progress that I have seen this group make in the past year is important. We know that our project is about the future - even beyond the 2019 Rugby World Cup - but we are also aware that our future is on Saturday against Scotland.''
Traditionally, Italy has tussled with Scotland to avoid the wooden spoon, but Gregor Townsend's team has improved and seeks three wins out of five for the second year running. That would go a long way to restoring confidence after losing to Ireland 28-8 last weekend ended Scotland's title chances.
''In my first Six Nations I don't think we won a game and that was four years ago,'' flyhalf Finn Russell says. ''We are building. The `nearly men' tag isn't the kind of name we want to have and we are definitely working to change that.''
Parisse will tie Wales prop Gethin Jenkins for fourth on the all-time caps list with his 134th appearance on Saturday. He counts only 33 wins among them. Eight of them have been in the Six Nations and, notably, six of them were at the expense of Scotland.
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Lineups:
Italy: Matteo Minozzi, Tommaso Benvenuti, Giulio Bisegni, Tommaso Castello, Mattia Bellini, Tommaso Allan, Marcello Violi; Sergio Parisse (captain), Jake Polledri, Sebastian Negri, Dean Budd, Alessandro Zanni, Simone Ferrari, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Andrea Lovotti. Reserves: Oliviero Fabiani, Nicola Quaglio, Tiziano Pasquali, Abraham Steyn, Giovanni Licata, Guglielmo Palazzani, Carlo Canna, Jayden Hayward.
Scotland: Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Nick Grigg, Sean Maitland, Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw; Ryan Wilson, Hamish Watson, John Barclay (captain), Jonny Gray, Tim Swinson, Willem Nel, Fraser Brown, Gordon Reid. Reserves: Stuart McInally, Jamie Bhatti, Zander Fagerson, Richie Gray, David Denton, Ali Price, Peter Horne, Blair Kinghorn.
