Italy 6N squad

[danit]

30 men squad for the first two games, to be reduced at 24

Prop
Martin CASTROGIOVANNI (Leicester Tigers, 82 caps)
Lorenzo CITTADINI (Treviso, 8 caps)
Alberto DE MARCHI (Aironi Rugby, uncapped)
Andrea LO CICERO (Racing-Metro Paris, 91 caps)

---

Hooker
Tommaso D’APICE (Aironi Rugby, 3 caps)
Leonardo GHIRALDINI (Treviso, 41 caps)

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Lock
Marco BORTOLAMI (Aironi Rugby, 88 caps)
Quintin GELDENHUYS (Aironi Rugby, 25 caps)
Antonio PAVANELLO (Treviso, 5 caps)
Cornelius VAN ZYL (Treviso, 6 caps)

---

Backrow
Robert BARBIERI (Treviso, 16 caps)
Mauro BERGAMASCO (Aironi Rugby, 88 caps)
Paul DERBYSHIRE (Treviso, 16 caps)
Simone FAVARO (Aironi Rugby, 6 caps)
Sergio PARISSE (Stade Francais, 83 caps)
Alessandro ZANNI (Treviso, 58 caps)

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Scrum Half
Edoardo GORI (Treviso, 9 caps)
Fabio SEMENZATO (Treviso, 8 caps)

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Flyhalf
Kristopher BURTON (Treviso, 9 caps)
Luciano ORQUERA (Aironi Rugby, 27 caps)

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Centre
Tommaso BENVENUTI (Treviso, 12 caps)
Gonzalo CANALE (Clermont-Auvergne, 72 caps)
Luca MORISI (Parma Crociati, uncapped)
Alberto SGARBI (Treviso, 14 caps)

---

Wing
Angelo ESPOSITO (Ruggers Tarvisium/Accademia FIR, uncapped)
Roberto QUARTAROLI (Aironi Rugby, 3 caps)
Giulio TONIOLATTI (Aironi Rugby, 8 caps)
Giovambattista VENDITTI (Aironi Rugby, uncapped)

---

Fullback
Andrea MASI (Aironi Rugby, 64 caps)
Luke MCLEAN (Treviso, 33 caps)

 

[racingmetrofan]

Where's the other Bergamasco?

 

[danit]

Where's the other Bergamasco?

still injured, he should be back within the next 15-20 days

 

[Amobokoboko]

Squad looks good with plenty of familiar faces. Did Salvatore Perugini retiree?

 

[Me 1]

Luca MORISI (Parma Crociati, uncapped)

Never heard of him, is he any good?

 

[danit]

Squad looks good with plenty of familiar faces. Did Salvatore Perugini retiree?

no but he's having a "not brilliant" season, so he's not been selected

Never heard of him, is he any good?

a youngster (20), played in Pro12 during the WC for Treviso as a permit player and did pretty well showing great skills, can play fh too

 

[Aedaphon]

Once again probably the most experienced sides in the 6 Nations. That pack should be solid like last year but it's a shame Perugini is having an off season, that front row packed a massive hit.

Any Italians have a rough idea what the starting XV will be?

I hope Italy can pull off a couple of great games like last year. They are the perpetual underdogs but they pushed Wales and Ireland to the limit. And I think I shed tears at the end of the France game...

 

[fede_front_row]

a rough idea will be that:

1 Lo Cicero
2 Ghiraldini (i don't know if he finished the disqualification)
3 Castrogiovanni
4 Van Zyl
5 Bortolami
6 Zanni
7 Mauro Bergamsco
8 Parisse
9 Semenzato
10 Orquera (or Burton but i don't think so)
11 Benvenuti
12 Sgarbi
13 Canale
14 Masi
15 Mc Lean

more or less it will be kinda like that, Brunel says that he will call a lot of palyers with experience!

 

[danit]

Any Italians have a rough idea what the starting XV will be?

I think Brunel wll be by far less conservative, picking such a XV

1. Lo Cicero
2. Ghiraldini
3. Castro
4. Pavanello
5. Van Zyl
6. Zanni
7. Derbyshire
8. Parisse
9. Semenzato
10. Burton
11. Toniolatti
12. Canale
13. Benvenuti
14. Quartaroli
15. Masi

16. D'Apice
17. Cittadini
18. Bortolami
19. Favaro
20. Gori
21. Orquera
22. Sgarbi
23. De Marchi (is the 2nd prop allowed on the bench?)

 

[fede_front_row]

i don't know man, we will see, but i think your ideal squad is closer to the real one!

 

[Aedaphon]

Good to see Italians on the forum! I find TRF to be full of Irishmen and the odd cynical, black-hearted man from deepest, darkest Northampton...

 

[Melhor Time]

I am happy with this squad. Hopefully it means Canale will be 12 and not 13 to allow Benvenuti to play there. Aside from Mirco Bergamasco its the best squad. Mauro should be on the bench. He had a quiet World Cup and has not exactly been getting loads of game time for Aironi.

23. De Marchi (is the 2nd prop allowed on the bench?)

No. Its still 22 for international matches. A team can have two props on the bench but it means sacrificing another position. For instance, Argentina had Ayerza and Scelzo on the bench for the Quarter Final vs New Zealand but had no secondrower.

I´d go for

1 Lo Cicero, 2 Ghiraldini, 3 Castrogiovanni
4 Pavanello, 5 Van Zyl
6 Zanni, 8 Parisse (Captain), 7 Derbyshire

9 Semenzato, 10 Orquera
12 Canale, 13 Benvenuti
11 Toniolatti, 15 Masi, 14 Quartaroli

16 D´Apice
17 Cittadini
18 Bortolami
19 Bergamasco
20 Gori
21 Burton (unfortunately)
22 McLean

 

[danit]

Good to see Italians on the forum! I find TRF to be full of Irishmen and the odd cynical, black-hearted man from deepest, darkest Northampton...

well I'm an old fella here... should have more posts but the counter got lost in transition from the old forum version

 

[Saintjay]

Good to see Italians on the forum! I find TRF to be full of Irishmen and the odd cynical, black-hearted man from deepest, darkest Northampton...

That's not true, we have had candles for some considerable time. It is not so dark now

 

[fede_front_row]

Derbyshire and Barbieri are injured now, but maybe they will be ok for the six nations!

 

[powerfulduck]

Are you expecting big crowds with the move to the stadio olympico?

 

[danit]

Are you expecting big crowds with the move to the stadio olympico?

actually around 55,000 tickets have been already sold for the England game, around 40.000 for the Scots

I believe we are going to have 65,000 people for the first game, maybe ten thousand less for the second

not bad considering that the Olimpico (72,000 seats in "rugby configuration") has an athletic truck keeping the crowd behind the posts very far from the pitch, and it's the first year the team is playing in there

 

[LittleGuy]

Is there any word/consensus on who will handle the goal kicking duties? This has been a weak point for some time now for Italy.

 

[Gavin]

Is there any word/consensus on who will handle the goal kicking duties? This has been a weak point for some time now for Italy.

Mirco Bergamasco has done pretty well with the kicking duties as he is not even a natural kicker. I'd expect him to keep the duties unless he doesn't recover from injury in time.

 

[danit]

Mirco Bergamasco has done pretty well with the kicking duties as he is not even a natural kicker. I'd expect him to keep the duties unless he doesn't recover from injury in time.

he's out of the squad, as he has not recovered from injury yet (he's expected to be back on the field on 11 february in Top 14 in Clermont)

goal kicking duties will be handled by the flyhalf, whoever he will be (Burton or Orquera)