Italy trim World Cup training squad

Jacques Brunel has trimmed his squad in preparation for the Rugby World Cup. 37 players will be in L’Aquila to take part in a training camp from July 12-25, before their final week-long session in Fiuggi starting on August 2. Two players, George Biagi and Simone Favaro, will not take part in L’Aquila due to injury, but it is hoped they will be recovered in time to take part in the warm-up matches in August.

Prop Andrea Lovotti, flanker Marco Barbini, and outside back Simone Ragusi have not survived the latest cut, as Brunel edges closer to his final selection for the tournament.

The squad contains four forwards with more than 100 caps – Martín Castrogiovanni, Marco Bortolami, Mauro Bergamasco, and captain Sergio Parisse. Calvisano scrumhalf Marcello Violi is the only uncapped player included, and the only player from the Italian Campionato Nazionale Eccellenza (formerly Super 10) domestic competition.

Four members of the squad – Matías Agüero, Gonzalo García, Castrogiovanni, and Parisse – originate from Argentina, while Robert Barbieri is from Toronto, Canada.

The Azzurri play home and away matches with Scotland in Turin on August 22 and Edinburgh on August 29, with a stop in Cardiff to face Wales on September 5 as part of their World Cup warm-up program. They are in Pool D of the tournament along with Canada, France, Ireland, and Romania.

FORWARDS
Matías Agüero (Zebre), Martín Castrogiovanni (Toulon), Dario Chistolini (Zebre), Alberto de Marchi (Sale), Michele Rizzo (Leicester), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Leicester), Davide Giazzon (Benetton Treviso), Andrea Manici (Andrea Manici (Zebre), Valerio Bernabo (Zebre), Marco Bortolami (Zebre), Joshua Furno (Newcastle), Marco Fuser (Benetton Treviso), Quintin Geldenhuys (Zebre), Robert Barbieri (Leicester), Mauro Bergamasco (Zebre), Paul Derbyshire (Benetton Treviso), Francesco Minto (Benetton Treviso), Sergio Parisse (capt., Stade Francais), Samuela Vunisa (Zebre), Alessandro Zanni (Benetton Treviso)

BACKS
Edoardo Gori (Benetton Treviso), Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre), Marcello Violi (Calvisano), Tommaso Allan (Perpignan), Kelly Haimona (Zebre), Enrico Bacchin (Benetton Treviso), Tommaso Benvenuti (Bristol), Michele Campagnaro (Benetton Treviso), Gonzalo García (Zebre), Luca Morisi (Benetton Treviso), Angelo Esposito (Benetton Treviso), Leonardo Sarto (Zebre), Giovanbattista Venditti (Zebre), Michele Visentin (Zebre), Andrea Masi (Wasps), Luke McLean (Sale)

NOT CONSIDERED DUE TO INJURY
George Biagi (Zebre), Simone Favaro (Benetton Treviso)