Statement: Italy name their 2025 Six Nations squad
Yesterday at 01:49 PM
Italy's head coach, Gonzalo Quesada, has unveiled his squad for the upcoming training camp in Rome, set to kick off on Sunday, January 19th.
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The camp marks the beginning of preparations for the 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations, where Italy's campaign will start against Scotland on February 1st in Edinburgh. This year's tournament holds added significance as it celebrates 25 years since Italy joined the Six Nations in 2000.
The Squad Breakdown
Quesada has selected a 30-man squad, comprising 17 forwards and 13 backs, for the initial week of training. Additionally, four players have been invited to join the sessions. Among the forwards, Giosuè Zilocchi makes his return after missing the 2024 Autumn Nations Series due to injury, while uncapped prop Luca Rizzoli is included to cover for suspended Benetton prop Mirco Spagnolo, who is sidelined for five weeks.
In the second and back rows, the lineup remains consistent with the Autumn Nations Series, except for Andrea Zambonin, who is unavailable due to injury.
Key Selections Among the Backs
Scrum-half Stephen Varney is back after moving from Gloucester to Vannes in search of more game time. Veteran fly-half Tommaso Allan, with 81 caps and over 500 points, also rejoins the squad after missing the games against Georgia and New Zealand. Zebre winger Simone Gesi returns to the fold, while Louis Lynagh misses out following surgery.
New Faces and Returning Stars
Invited to the training camp are Muhamed Hasa, Matteo Canali, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, and Giulio Bertaccini. Of the quartet, only Bertaccini has Test experience, having debuted against Georgia in November.
Quesada's Vision
"The Rome camp will be crucial for our Six Nations preparations. We'll focus on optimizing our limited time together to continue building on the progress we've made. Despite injuries, our team's identity and culture remain strong. We're determined to grow our rugby and face the challenges ahead," said Quesada.
Italy's Six Nations Squad
Props
- Simone Ferrari (Benetton Rugby, 59 caps)
- Danilo Fischetti (Zebre Parma, 47 caps)
- Marco Riccioni (Saracens, 30 caps)
- Luca Rizzoli (Zebre Parma, debutant)
- Giosuè Zilocchi (Benetton Rugby, 22 caps)
Hookers
- Gianmarco Lucchesi (Toulon, 28 caps)
- Giacomo Nicotera (Stade Français, 28 caps)
Second Rows
- Niccolò Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 47 caps)
- Riccardo Favretto (Benetton Rugby, 4 caps)
- Dino Lamb (Harlequins, 9 caps)
- Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby, 59 caps)
Back Rows
- Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 23 caps)
- Alessandro Izekor (Benetton Rugby, 6 caps)
- Michele Lamaro (Benetton Rugby, 43 caps)
- Sebastian Negri (Benetton Rugby, 58 caps)
- Ross Vintcent (Exeter Chiefs, 9 caps)
- Manuel Zuliani (Benetton Rugby, 27 caps)
Scrum-Halves
- Alessandro Garbisi (Benetton Rugby, 13 caps)
- Martin Page-Relo (Lyon, 13 caps)
- Stephen Varney (Vannes, 30 caps)
Fly-Halves
- Tommaso Allan (Perpignan, 81 caps)
- Paolo Garbisi (Toulon, 42 caps)
- Leonardo Marin (Benetton Rugby, 13 caps)
Centres
- Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton Rugby, 41 caps)
- Tommaso Menoncello (Benetton Rugby, 23 caps)
Wings/Fullbacks
- Ange Capuozzo (Stade Toulousain, 23 caps)
- Matt Gallagher (Benetton Rugby, 2 caps)
- Simone Gesi (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)
- Monty Ioane (Lyon, 35 caps)
- Jacopo Trulla (Zebre Parma, 12 caps)
Invited Players
- Giulio Bertaccini (Valorugby Emilia, 1 cap)
- Matteo Canali (Zebre Parma, debutant)
- Tommaso Di Bartolomeo (Zebre Parma, debutant)
- Muhamed Hasa (Zebre Parma, debutant)
Unavailable Due to Injury
- Louis Lynagh (Benetton Rugby, 5 caps)
- Paolo Odogwu (Benetton Rugby, 6 caps)
- Andrea Zambonin (Zebre Parma, 9 caps)
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