HE is a hero who is condemned to emerge from a landslide of praise to meet the rolling rock of defeat.

Sergio Parisse is the George Best, the Ryan Giggs of rugby. He is an extraordinary talent whose gifts are unbounded but whose expectation of victory in an international jersey is restricted by unflinching reality of geography.

Parisse, at 31, has started 110 matches for Italy but has been on the winning side just 30 times. In the five or six nations, he has played 48 matches, eight as a victor.

Yet his almost gaudy greatness defies such monochrome figures. "He is as good as any No.8 in the world," says Nick Mallett, the 58-year-old who has coached South Africa, Stade Francais and, pertinently, Italy in a career where he has made his name as both a perceptive technical analyst and a fine judge of character.

Mallett made Parisse his captain when he was coach of the Italian side. The forward was only 24 but already he had shown both extraordinary ability and the capacity to lead and inspire team mates.

Mallett, a fluent speaker, can almost be reduced to sound bites when he addresses the subject of Parisse.

"He plays every game for Italy as if it is the last match of his life."

"His genius is that he drags players up to his level."

"He can play against the All Blacks or South Africa in South Africa and believe he is the best player on the park. No arrogance, just belief."

"He puts his body on the line for his team mates. They follow him always, totally."

"He is indomitable."

Tellingly, Mallett's awe at Parisse as a player is complemented by his respect for the forward as a man. There is grit about Parisse but there is glamour too.

At 6ft 5in and almost 18 stone, he is a recognisable presence in Paris where he plays for Stade Francais and his lifestyle holds a hint of both Best and Giggs in that he is never going to be mistaken for a monk. His marriage with Miss Europe, Alexandra Rosenfeld, ended in divorce in2013 but he has not been suffering from loneliness since.

"Off the field, he is in all the magazines. There is a glamour to Stade Francais and marrying a beauty queen tends to put your name in the paper," says Mallett.

"But all this does not affect him as a player. As a trainer, he sets a fantastic example for the rest of the team. He would never give the impression to his team mates that he was much better than them."

Mallett points out that technically Parisse is of the top order. "He is as good as Kieran Read of the All Blacks. Easily." says Mallett.

"With ball in hand, attacking, in the lineout, going forward he is as good as any No.8 in the world. He's a strong defender, a wonderful leader who carries the team. It is his consistency that amazes. He wins man of the match awards when Italy lose."

Mallett, who coached Italy from 2007 to 2011 after being in charge of South Africa and Stade Francais, was accustomed to dealing with great players and greater egos.

His first decision as Italian coach was to make Parisse captain. "He was 24 and coming into prime and I felt we had to make a change. I saw that the players all followed him."

Mallett believes they will walk on to Murrayfield behind their talisman with a strong hope of winning against the Scots. As a coach, Mallett devised a strategy to beat the Scots on two occasions. He is convinced that captain Parisse will be galvanising his troops with a rallying cry that insists the Scots can, indeed must, be beaten.

"This is not a dispirited Italian side," says Mallett. "They played well for large parts of the matches against Ireland and England. They have not lost heart. They will travel to Scotland with a genuine belief they can win."

Mallett, who is enjoying a spell away from coaching after losing out to Stuart Lancaster for the England job, expects an entertaining game at Murrayfield.

"I hope Scotland will play with the ambition they have shown under Vern Cotter and I am convinced they will. I do not think the team will go into their shell but this match has the possibility of being a bit of a banana skin," he said.

"When I coached Italy we knew we had a little bit of an edge in Rome and we felt we had to play really well to beat the Scots away. But Italy played very good rugby against England in patches. They did not do that by playing in what some call a traditional Italian manner, that is relying on a big pack, lots of scrums, penalties, a fly half who kicks the cover off the ball and a solid defence. They were much more adventurous.

"They kept the ball in hand against England and were very successful. It will be a really attractive game of rugby if it is dry."

Mallett points out that there were several good performances in Italy's 47-17 defeat at Twickenham, praising the vim and incisiveness of Luca Morisi who scored two tries. But Parisse was at the centre of all enterprise. He is extraordinarily strong but is also deft in pass and smart in movement and scored a try at Twickenham.

He was not overawed by the challenge against a strong England side and not dismayed by defeat.

"He never loses hope," says Mallett. "He has won a title with Stade Francais and can have a measure of satisfaction at the wins in his club career but he never looks at the RBS 6 Nations as a loser. It irritates him intensely to be always regarded as one of the underdogs in international rugby."

Parisse's triumph is to be a competitor who is not diminished by defeat. His greatness is that he can raise the level of 14 others. Scotland must be wary of these powers tomorrow afternoon.

Nick Mallett is part of Accenture's analysis team during the RBS 6 Nations, providing fans with insight and analysis. Follow @AccentureRugby and download the Official RBS 6 Nations App