Italy name World Cup roster

Italian Head Coach Jacques Brunel has named his 31-man roster for the Rugby World Cup which starts next month. Italy has played in every Rugby World Cup to date but is yet to leave a lasting impression due to never having advanced beyond the pool stage.

Italy will play in Pool D, one of the tournament’s toughest with stiff opposition coming in the form of heavy weights France and Ireland while both Canada and Romania are in search of doing more than just making up the numbers.

Set to appear in a fifth Rugby World Cup is veteran back-rower Mauro Bergamasco who played in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. Now in the twilight of his career, he will join Samoan Brian Lima as only the second player in history to play in five tournaments. Argentine Sergio Parisse has been named as captain and is to play in his fourth Rugby World Cup.

Joining Parisse on the player roster are three other Argentine players – Matías Agüero, Martín Castrogiovanni and Gonzalo García. Canadian Robert Barbieri, meanwhile, has not made the cut. He joins 112-cap veteran Marco Bortolami and Michele Visentin in missing the tournament.

The squad is split with 17 forwards and 14 backs and is noteworthy by having just five back-rowers. Bergamasco and Parisse are be be joined by Francesco Minto, Alessandro Zanni, and Fijian import Samuela Vunisa, who joins Aviva Premiership club Saracens after the tournament.

Italy will begin against France in London on Saturday September 19 in London. The Italians will then face Canada in Leeds followed by Ireland in London and Romania in Exeter. The questionable schedule is such that Italy will likely know its fate when the final whistle sounds against Ireland.

FORWARDS
Matías Agüero (Zebre), Martín Castrogiovanni (Toulon), Dario Chistolini (Zebre), Lorenzo Cittadini (Wasps), Michele Rizzo (Leicester), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Leicester), Davide Giazzon (Benetton Treviso), Andrea Manici (Zebre), Valerio Bernabo (Zebre), Joshua Furno (Newcastle), Marco Fuser (Benetton Treviso), Quintin Geldenhuys (Zebre), Mauro Bergamasco (Zebre), Francesco Minto (Benetton Treviso), Sergio Parisse (capt., Stade Français), Samuela Vunisa (Zebre), Alessandro Zanni (Benetton Treviso)

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