Vintcent Named in Italy Training Camp in Rome
Exeter Chiefs back rower Ross Vintcent has been named in the Italian training camp due to take place in Rome in the coming weeks.
Gonzalo Quesada, Head Coach of the Italian Men's National Rugby Team, has named his squad for the training camp in Rome – scheduled to start on Sunday 19 January – in preparation for the 2025 Guinness Six Nations, in which Italy will start their campaign against Scotland away in Edinburgh.
30 athletes have been called up by the Azzurri, divided for the first week of preparation for the oldest rugby tournament in the world into 17 forwards and 13 backs, in addition to four players invited to participate in training.
Among the returns to the scrum is that of the right prop Giosuè Zilocchi, absent due to injury during the Autumn Nations Series, while prop Rizzoli returns to the group. Mirco Spagnolo is unavailable.
In the second and third row, the block of the last international window is confirmed, with only Andrea Zambonin not considered due to injury.
In the midfield we see the number nine Stephen Varney, who during the course of the season left Gloucester to move to Vannes, while among the fly-halfs Tommaso Allan – unavailable in Genoa and Turin against Georgia and New Zealand – is the veteran of the blue group with his 81 caps and over 500 points scored with Italy, second best Italian scorer of all time and the most prolific in the tournament (165 points).
Invited to take part in the training camp towards the debut at the 2025 Six Nations are Muhamed Hasa, Matteo Canali, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo and Giulio Bertaccini, the only one of the quartet to have already trod the test match scene by making his debut against Georgia on 17 November.
"The period we will have in Rome will be of fundamental importance in view of the start of the tournament. In the first week there will be only two days where we will have the whole group available. The organization and optimization of the time available to work at our best will be crucial. I can't wait to meet the whole team again: we are aware that great challenges are coming for us. We have a united and solid group even if we are missing players due to injuries. Let's start from the good we showed in November and from what we worked on but we were not able to bring to the field as we wanted. Focus on our processes and what we can control. Continuing the growth of our rugby, of what we aim to do on the field, more convinced and determined than ever. Also continuing to strengthen our team identity and culture. The level of commitment of everyone, players and staff, with the national team in this Six Nations will be as high as ever," said Gonzalo Quesada.
Simone FERRARI (Benetton Rugby, 59 caps)
Danilo FISCHETTI (Zebre Parma, 47 caps)
Marco RICCIONI (Saracens, 30 caps)
Luca RIZZOLI (Zebre Parma, rookie)
Giosuè ZILOCCHI (Benetton Rugby, 22 caps)
Gianmarco LUCCHESI (Toulon, 28 caps)
Giacomo NICOTERA (Stade Francais, 28 caps)
Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 47 caps)
Riccardo FAVRETTO (Benetton Rugby, 4 caps)
Dino LAMB (Harlequins, 9 caps)
Federico RUZZA (Benetton Rugby, 59 caps)
Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 23 caps)
Alessandro IZEKOR (Benetton Rugby, 4 caps)
Michele LAMARO (Benetton Rugby, 43 caps)
Sebastian BLACKS (Benetton Rugby, 58 caps)
Ross VINTCENT (Exeter Chiefs, 9 caps)
Manuel ZULIANI (Benetton Rugby, 27 caps)
Alessandro GARBISI (Benetton Rugby, 13 caps)
Martin PAGE-RELO (Lyon, 13 caps)
Stephen VARNEY (Vannes, 30 caps)
Tommaso ALLAN (Perpignan, 81 caps)
Paolo GARBISI (Toulon, 42 caps)
Leonardo MARIN (Benetton Rugby, 13 caps)
Juan Ignacio BREX (Benetton Rugby, 41 caps)
Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 23 caps)
Ange CAPUOZZO (Stade Toulousain, 23 caps)
Matt GALLAGHER (Benetton Rugby, 2 caps)
Simone GESI (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)
Monty IOANE (Lyon, 35 caps)
Jacopo TRULLA (Zebre Parma, 12 caps)
Training with the squad:
Giulio BERTACCINI (Valorugby Emilia, 1 cap)
Matteo CANALI (Zebre Parma, debutant)
Tommaso DI BARTOLOMEO (Zebre Parma, debutant)
Muhamed HASA (Zebre Parma, debutant)