By WYNNE GRAY
It was not the regular sort of rugby question you get before All Black tests. Not the usual inquiries about Cullen or Mehrtens or coach Wayne Smith you get from the international media.
The Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa was curdling with curiosity about Italy's chances against the All Blacks and several of the local scribes sidled up wanting to know how David Hill's rugby was going.
They learned he had a handy first season in division one of the NPC as first five-eighths for Southland and was about to be picked for the Chiefs for his first year of Super 12 rugby.
Cross-examination discovered that he had played several seasons for the small Calvisano club in Milan (the same club Mehrtens played at in 1994), was eligible for Italy because his mother was born there, and had been approached about the chances of playing in the Italian rugby colours.
The 22-year-old Chiefs' recruit confirmed those facts yesterday as he prepared in Gisborne with his new squad for their opening trial game against the Hurricanes.
With regular doubts about Diego Dominguez playing for Italy (mainly because of his salary demands), rugby officials had discovered Hill's eligibility during his time in the country.
Three times he had rebuffed offers to join the national squad, including a chance to go to the last World Cup.
The final time he decided against the move was after new coach and former All Black Brad Johnstone tried to get him to join the squad for the opening Six Nations tournament.
"I was very tempted to go, but I haven't played enough rugby yet to be doing that stuff," Hill said.
Rugby did not figure in Hill's strong sports portfolio until his seventh-form year at Marlborough Boys College.
Basketball, soccer and volleyball occupied his playing time, though he followed rugby strongly.
Only in his last year at school in 1996 was former provincial midfielder and first XV coach Kieran Kane able to persuade Hill to trade his point guard duties for work as a fullback.
Hill made the South Island under-18 side on the evidence of that one season, and in his first year out of school played fullback for Marlborough when they won the third division final against North Otago.
In 1998 he was playing professional rugby in Italy.
In between times he slotted in some work as a sports reporter on the Marlborough Express before the travel bug and his sporting ability meant he is now the subject of interviews rather than asking questions.
His family has a wide array of sporting ability.
His father, Tony, and brother, Joseph, were Central Districts cricket reps, while repaired NZ left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori is a cousin - his father and Hill's mother are brother and sister.
Hill played age-group cricket for Central before he lost some interest.
He was tempted, however, to have another go on a quick visit to Christchurch recently, but a third-ball duck reinforced his decision to switch to rugby.
Since Christmas that sport and Chiefs new coach John Mitchell have demanded his full attention as he squares off in a duel with Glenn Jackson to run the Chiefs backline.
"I have found it all very interesting and challenging," Hill said.
"I went to Southland because I wanted to play first division rugby and now I have transferred to Waikato because of my ambitions."
Hill's inexperience is balanced by his rugby nous and goalkicking strength in one of the areas where the Chiefs have faltered in recent years.
Coach Mitchell has gone for many new players he has identified with potential and the progress of Hill and those others has only three weeks to run before they sit their first Super 12 test against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Object of Latin interest has ambitions in NZ
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