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Italy name new captain after Parisse left out of Six Nations squad
By Online Editors
Luca Bigi will succeed Sergio Parisse as Italy captain and lead the Azzurri in this season’s Guinness Six Nations Championship.
The 28-year-old Zebre hooker will lead the team for the first time in Italy’s tournament opener against Wales in Cardiff on February 1.
Parisse is set to retire from international rugby later this year.
He was not named in Italy head coach Franco Smith’s Six Nations squad, although it is thought he will be called up later in the competition.
Earlier this month, Parisse outlined his desire to end his international career in front of a home Italian crowd during the latter part of the Six Nations.
Bigi, who has won 24 caps, made his Test debut against Scotland in 2017 and started three of Italy’s World Cup games in Japan earlier this season.
“We had the opportunity to identify a group of athletes who will have a leadership role within the team and to help develop an internal culture within the group,” Smith told the Italian Rugby Federation’s official website.
“This is certainly a great responsibility for him (Bigi), but also a chance to continue his growth as a player, supported by other athletes who we believe can positively influence the group, in a doubly-strategic role as hooker and captain.”
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Not sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
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