Now he has returned to the country of his birth by signing for Zebre<\/a> Parma which means yet more border-hopping through being part of the multi-nation BKT URC.<\/p>\n He is hoping the move will help him achieve his dream of playing in a fourth World Cup with a trip to Australia<\/a> on the horizon in just under a year\u2019s time.<\/p>\n At 33, the utility back is intent on enjoying whatever the future holds.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a different feeling knowing you are kind of nearing the end of your career a little bit,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how many more years I have got in me, if it\u2019s three, four, one.<\/p>\n \u201cI am just trying to enjoy it as much as possible. It\u2019s good. I like it.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to have a leadership role and to try and bring the experiences I have had around the world to these players.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of youngsters here at Zebre and I try to help them as much as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, I think there are things I can still improve on in my game.<\/p>\n \u201cI am in my early 30s now and I feel it a little bit more in my body, that\u2019s for sure. But it\u2019s still enjoyable. I still have fun and I think I still have a few years left in my body.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting on his career, he added: \u201cI would never have imagined this job would have taken me to so many different countries and that I would play for so many years.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is my 14th season. I have played a lot of games for the national team which I never thought was possible when I was a youngster.<\/p>\n \u201cI try to think of myself when I was 15, 16, having big aspirations. I am sure the Tommy of 15 years old would be quite proud of what I have achieved and hopefully I can achieve a little bit more as well before I finish.\u201d<\/p>\n Allan was born in Vicenza in northern Italy, but relocated to England<\/a> with his family when he was eight.<\/p>\n \u201cI moved there at quite a young age and I didn\u2019t really know how to speak English. I spoke Italian,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where my rugby grew. We found the local rugby club where I was living, I started playing for them and I never really stopped after that.\u201d<\/p>\n That club was Henley RFC, with Allan going on to earn a place in the Wasps<\/a> Academy before heading to South Africa<\/a> and joining Western Province.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a big family link to South Africa,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad was born in Glasgow, but moved to Durban when he was four or five years old. He did all his schooling and university there. My uncle played for the Springboks as well.<\/p>\n \u201cI went there quite a few times when I was little. I went to the old high school my dad went to for a summer to play rugby.<\/p>\n \u201cThen I was fortunate enough to go to the Western Province Academy when I finished school in England.<\/p>\n \u201cI spent two years there and it was incredible. It helped me so much become the player I am.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough it was an age-grade competition, it was pretty much full professional rugby. It was intense, but I enjoyed it and knew it was something I wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Allan then spent three years in France with Perpignan<\/a> before a five-year stint back home with Benetton<\/a> Rugby, followed by a couple of seasons in England with Harlequins.<\/p>\n Then came a second stint in the Catalan city of Perpignan ahead of the move to Zebre this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cTravelling the world and experiencing different types of rugby has helped me develop a lot,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cI have tried to take as many things as I can from different cultures and different styles of play.<\/p>\n \u201cMoving around and putting myself in tough situations and different environments and having to adapt has helped my rugby enormously.\u201d<\/p>\n On the international front, Allan represented Scotland<\/a> at U17s, U18s and U20s, but then opted to throw his lot in with Italy<\/a> at Test level.<\/p>\n The goal kicking ace has gone on to rack up 552 points during his 90-plus appearances at fly-half and full-back for the Azzurri, becoming his country\u2019s highest points scorer in both the Six Nations<\/a> and the World Cup.<\/p>\n Now he has his sights set on heading Down Under next year for another global gathering.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the plan,\u201d he confirms.<\/p>\n \u201cA big part of the decision in moving back to Italy was to give it a real crack.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thought was that being closer to the national team would give me a big shot at getting there.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would be my fourth World Cup if I end up going.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to get there and then after that we will see.\u201d<\/p>\n Fixture<\/p>\n United Rugby Championship<\/p>\n Connacht <\/p>\n Zebre <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The versatile Allan has figured at both 10 and 15 for Zebre so far this season, with the next assignment being this Friday\u2019s clash with Connacht<\/a> Rugby in Galway.<\/p>\n As for how he has settled in at his new club, he says: \u201cIt\u2019s been good.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been getting used to life back in Italy with the family.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of young players in the group that are very eager to learn and have really good potential.\u201d<\/p>\n The move has seen him getting a first taste of the BKT URC.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are a lot of different styles of rugby,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go up against Irish teams that are very structured with very good skills in attack.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go against teams in Scotland that are very quick. You go against teams in South Africa where there is a lot of physicality and set-piece involved.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you need to adapt your game to different types of opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking at Allan\u2019s wandering career, he has certainly continued the diverse rugby tradition within his family.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792476612_545_304.png.webp\"\/)
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