Full Monty with Italy's Ioane: almost retiring, Six Nations hopes and meeting Michael Jordan

Italy's Monty Ioane is ready to face Ireland in the Six Nations on Sunday, playing with a smile on his face, but he almost retired from rugby before a World Cup call-up gave him a new lease of life.

The Australian-born winger joined Italian club Benetton in 2017, where Kieran Crowley was head coach. Ioane later qualified to play for Italy, making his debut in 2020.

Crowley took over the national team the following year, but Ioane returned to Australia in 2022 because of mental health issues.

"Honestly, I was very close to retiring, it was a bit of a tough period for me and I wasn't enjoying rugby," Ioane told Reuters. "When I got to Australia, I lost a lot of confidence and I thought, maybe I don't have it anymore."

"Then Kieran called and said he was bringing me to the World Cup. We had a good chat and for him to have that belief in me, it brought that spark back."

Things didn't immediately improve in Australia, but Ioane has no regrets over the decisions he made.

"I loved my time in Italy but there were certain things I wasn't happy with so I went home to Australia for a week or two to clear the mind," the 29-year-old said.

"I had some chats with the Melbourne Rebels and ended up staying in Australia, but even at home it was one of the hardest periods.

"It was actually worse, that's where I lost my passion and interest for sport, but if I could turn back time I probably wouldn't, only because there were lots of lessons I still hadn't learned."

Crowley is no longer Italy's coach, and his departure hit Ioane hard, but the new man in charge, Gonzalo Quesada, is a familiar face.

"I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty emotional for myself, because he (Crowley) was someone that put full trust in me," Ioane said.

"When I went back to