Brunel names Italy pre Six Nations training squad

Italy head coach Jacques Brunel has named a 38-man squad for a one day Italy training coach as part of their Six Nations preparations.

Brunel, who has been in charge of Italy since 2012, will hold a one day training camp in Parma on Monday and run his eye over an enlarged squad.

The squad will be missing foreign based players for the camp but Brunel has selected 21 uncapped players, many of whom play in the Italian domestic championship.

There are five players – Matteo Ferro, Nicola Quaglio, Maicol Azzolini, Simone Marinaro and Matteo Minozzi – who were all part of the Italy U20 squad and will be training with the senior squad for the first time.

“The training camp will set a new chance for Jacques and all the coaching team to have a deeper look to many those players who are emerging from the Eccellenza,” said Italy Team Manager Luigi Troiani on the Six Nations site..

“With almost two months ahead before the start of the the Six Nations, it’s crucial for us to identify all these players, not only from the Pro12 and the other European competitions, who could be involved in the team during the Championship”.

Forwards

Valerio BERNABO’ (Zebre Rugby, 27 caps)
George Fabio BIAGI (Zebre Rugby, 8 caps)
Pietro CECCARELLI (Zebre Rugby, uncapped)
Dario CHISTOLINI (Zebre Rugby, 13 caps)
Tommaso D’APICE (Zebre Rugby, 10 caps)*
Alberto DE MARCHI (Benetton Treviso, 29 caps)
Paul DERBYSHIRE (Zebre Rugby, 25 caps)
Matteo FERRO (Femi-CZ Rovigo, uncapped)
Ornell GEGA (Benetton Treviso, uncapped)
Davide GIAZZON (Benetton Treviso, 24 caps)
Marco LAZZARONI (Benetton Treviso, uncapped)*
Andrea LOVOTTI (Zebre Rugby, uncapped)*
Maxime Mata MBANDA’ (Rugby Calvisano, uncapped)*
Francesco MINTO (Benetton Treviso, 23 caps)
Nicola QUAGLIO (Femi-CZ Rovigo, uncapped)*
Federico RUZZA (Zebre Rugby, uncapped)*
Abraham Jurgens STEYN (Benetton Treviso, uncapped)
Andries VAN SCHALKWYK (Zebre Rugby, uncapped)
Alessandro ZANNI (Benetton Treviso, 94 caps)
Matteo ZANUSSO (Benetton Treviso, uncapped)*

Backs

Maicol AZZOLINI (Fiamme Oro Roma, uncapped)*
Mattia BELLINI (Petrarca Padova, uncapped)
Giulio BISEGNI (Zebre Rugby, 2 caps)
Tommaso BONI (Zebre Rugby, uncapped)*
Andrea BUONDONNO (Marchiol Mogliano, uncapped)
Carlo CANNA (Zebre Rugby, 8 caps)
Tommaso CASTELLO (Rugby Calvisano, uncapped)
Edoardo GORI (Benetton Treviso, 47 caps)*
Simone MARINARO (Fiamme Oro Roma, uncapped)*
Luke MCLEAN (Benetton Treviso, 75 caps)
Matteo MINOZZI (Rugby Calvisano, uncapped)*
David ODIETE (Marchiol Mogliano, uncapped)*
Edoardo PADOVANI (Zebre Rugby, uncapped)*
Guglielmo PALAZZANI (Zebre Rugby, 15 caps)
Andrea PRATICHETTI (Benetton Treviso, 1 cap)*
Leonardo SARTO (Zebre Rugby, 23 caps)*
Marco SUSIO (Rugby Calvisano, uncapped)
Michele VISENTIN (Zebre Rugby, 1 cap)*

*FIR Academy member