Italy bolstered by return of 2 starters after injuries against England

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has named his 34-player squad that will prepare to take on Scotland and Wales in the final two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations, with back rows Sebastian Negri and Lorenzo Cannone returning after picking up injuries in round one against England.

Flanker Negri, who is now the most capped player in the Italy squad after Tommaso Allan pulled out, missed the loss over Ireland and draw with France after suffering a rib injury against England in Rome. His back row companion in that match, No8 Cannone, also succumbed to a knee injury that ruled him out of rounds two and three of the Championship.

The pair are back in the fold this week though as the Azzurri seek to build upon their 13-13 draw with France on Sunday. A Scotland side that are fresh from a Calcutta Cup win over England are next for Italy at the Stadio Olimpico.

NORTH vs SOUTH: Rhys Patchell on the differences he’s seen since playing in NZ

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NORTH vs SOUTH: Rhys Patchell on the differences he’s seen since playing in NZ

Welsh fly-half Rhys Patchell weighs in on the differences between playing for the Scarlets back home and where he is playing now, with the Highlanders in New Zealand

After naming his squad, Quesada said (translated by Google): “After a week in which all the players returned to their own clubs, we will meet the group again on Sunday afternoon starting the next meeting with great concentration towards the two matches that will close the Six Nations.

“We showed a great performance against France and the objective will be to continue to improve in the next matches by confirming what we showed on the pitch.

Fixture

Six Nations

Italy

31 - 29

Full-time

Scotland

All Stats and Data

“We are focused on our team identity, our play in every sector and, above all, our growth path” said Gonzalo Quesada.”

Italy Squad  
Props
Pietro CECCARELLI (Perpignan, 32 caps)
Simone FERRARI (Benetton Rugby, 51 caps)
Danilo FISCHETTI (Zebre Parma, 39 caps)
Marco RICCIONI (Saracens, 26 caps)
Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 3 caps)
Giosuè ZILOCCHI (Benetton Rugby, 19 caps)

Hookers
Gianmarco LUCCHESI (Benetton Rugby, 20 caps)
Marco MANFREDI (Zebre Parma, 3 caps)
Giacomo NICOTERA (Benetton Rugby, 21 caps)

Second rows
Matteo CANALI (Zebre Parma, esordiente)
Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 39 caps)
Federico RUZZA (Benetton Rugby, 52 caps)
Andrea ZAMBONIN (Zebre Parma, 6 caps)

Back rows
Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 17 caps)
Riccardo FAVRETTO (Benetton Rugby, 2 caps)
Alessandro IZEKOR (Benetton Rugby, 2 caps)
Michele LAMARO (Benetton Rugby, 36 caps)
Sebastian NEGRI (Benetton Rugby, 53 caps)
Ross VINTCENT (Exeter Chiefs, 2 caps)
Manuel ZULIANI (Benetton Rugby, 20 caps)

Scrum-halves
Alessandro GARBISI (Benetton Rugby, 8 caps)
Martin PAGE-RELO (Lyon, 6 caps)
Stephen VARNEY (Gloucester, 27 caps)

Fly-halves
Paolo GARBISI (Toulon, 34 caps)
Leonardo MARIN (Benetton Rugby, 7 caps)

Centres
Juan Ignacio BREX (Benetton Rugby, 33 caps)
Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 15 caps)
Federico MORI (Bayonne, 16 caps)
Marco ZANON (Benetton Rugby, 16 caps)

Wingers/fullbacks
Ange CAPUOZZO (Toulouse, 18 caps)
Monty IOANE (Lyon, 28 caps)
Simone GESI (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)
Louis LYNAGH (Harlequins, uncapped)
Lorenzo PANI (Zebre Parma, 7 caps)