For the meeting in L’Aquila and the first part of the new format that will start in July in the southern hemisphere, coach Quesada calls on the second lines Marini and Ortombina and the winger Faissal. The Azzurri will face Japan on July 4th in Tokyo, the All Blacks on the 11th in Wellington and Australia on the 18th in Perth
There are three debutants in the group of 33 players that coach Gonzalo Quesada has called up for Italy’s matches in the new Nations Championship in July. The team will meet on Thursday 18 June in L’Aquila and will leave for Japan on the afternoon of the 25th. The summer phase of the new format in fact includes the debut against the Japanese coach Eddie Jones on 4 July in Tokyo, then the match against the All Blacks on the 11th in Wellington and the one against Australia on the 18th in Perth.
absent and invited
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In reality, there will be 32 players in L’Aquila, given that only 20, that is, after the English Premiership final between Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints, Danilo Fischetti, Ross Vintcent, Stephen Varney and Andrea Zambonin will join. However, there will be three players invited: Destiny Aminu, Ivan Nemer (Benetton) and Samuele Locatelli (Zebre). The list of unavailable injured players is still quite extensive: props Simone Ferrari and Giosué Zilocchi, third rows Sebastian Negri and Manuel Zuliani, midfielder Martin Page-Relo and winger Edoardo Todaro. Quesada’s first opponent, however, as always is called time: “The key – he says – will be to maximize the time available for preparation and training conditions, especially during the international window in July characterized by several demanding trips: from L’Aquila we will move to Tokyo and, subsequently, after a long transfer from the heat of Japan we will face the winter of Wellington. Given the commitments of some athletes with their respective clubs, still involved in the final stages of the championships, we will only find the complete group again from the next week, starting from Tuesday: we will therefore have only one training session with the whole team before departure. For this reason Ange Capuozzo and Giacomo Nicotera will not participate in the tour, as they will be busy with their respective teams in the final stages of the Top 14”.
rookies
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It was said about the three rookies. Giulio Marini has been at Benetton for two seasons: the first as a permit player, the second permanently in the squad. He moved from third line to second line. He is 24 years old and grew up in Mogliano. Due to his weight and height (195 cm x 105 kg) he is placed precisely in that range in which you need to know how to make yourself useful in both roles. Practically the same goes for Alessandro Ortombina (195×113), who is from Peschiera del Garda. Perpignan had signed him from Valorugby with the intention of making him a product of the academy, according to the French rules on eligibility (you have to play for 3 years before turning 23), but after 2 seasons and just 6 appearances in the first team, last summer he accepted Zebre’s offer and returned to Italy. Winger Malik Faissal, a 20-year-old born in Fidenza, is a product of Rugby Parma, passed through the Academy and made his debut with Zebre in URC, scoring a try against Montauban in the cup. From next season he will play in England with the Saints.
those summoned
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This is the list of Italy’s squad for the meeting in L’Aquila:
After you: Lorenzo Cannone, Niccolò Cannone, Riccardo Favretto, Michele Lamaro, Giulio Marini, Federico Ruzza, Mirco Spagnolo (Benetton), Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Muhamed Hasa, Ion Neculai, David Odiase, Alessandro Ortombina (Zebre), Pablo Dimcheff (Colomiers), Danilo Fischetti (Northampton Saints), Gianmarco Lucchesi (Toulon), Marco Riccioni (Saracens), Ross Vintcent, Andrea Zambonin (Exeter Chiefs);
Trocars: Tommaso Allan (Perpignan), Giulio Bertaccini, Giacomo Da Re, Alessandro Fusco, Lorenzo Pani, Malik Faissal (Zebre), Juan Ignacio Brex, Paolo Garbisi (Toulon), Alessandro Garbisi, Louis Lynagh, Leonardo Marin, Tommaso Menoncello, Paolo Odogwu (Benetton), Monty Ioane (Lyon), Stephen Varney (Exeter Chiefs).
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