Gonzalo Quesada names 34 ahead of the Six Nations
Six Nations: 34 summoned for Verona gathering
The technical commissioner of the men’s national rugby team, Gonzalo Quesada, has released the official list of athletes summoned for the Verona gathering, scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 22, in preparation for the 2024 Six Nations. There are 34 athletes summoned among which we find 5 rookies and one player, Ross Vintcent, at his first ever call-up to the Major National Team. It will be the first gathering under Quesada’s guidance within the international window with the possibility of having the full team group available.
Twenty players in the forwards’ department, fourteen in the three-quarters. Pietro Ceccarelli, class of 1992, è the most experienced athlete while Tommaso Menoncello (August 2002, same year as Rizzoli, A. Garbisi, Vintcent and Pani a few months older) è the youngest player at the disposal of the staff of the Men’s Major National Team that will work with a group made up of a mix of experienced athletes – including Tommaso Allan who with his 79 caps è the Azzurro with the most active appearances – and young players with an average age in the squad of about 25 years.
The national team will remain in Verona until Saturday, Jan. 27, before moving to Rome, at the Giulio Onesti Olympic Preparation Center, home of the Azzurri’s training sessions toward the Guinness Six Nations debut scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 3, against England at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome at 3:15 p.m., a match that will be broadcast on Sky Sport channels.
"We will have the opportunity to work for the first time, even if only for 3 days, with the full group – said the Azzurri’s coach -. In the first part of January, the focus è was on the new working methodology, on the field exits and meeting points. Now we will get into the basics of our game and the structures of offense and defense. We will not have a lot of time and we will try to focus as much as possible. The staff has been working very well and during this period there’è has been constant discussion to best transfer all the information to the athletes".
This is the list of the summoned athletes:
Pylons
Pietro CECCARELLI (Perpignan, 31 caps)
Danilo FISCHETTI (Zebre Parma, 36 caps)
Matteo NOCERA (Zebre Parma, rookie)
Luca RIZZOLI (Zebre Parma, rookie)
Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, rookie)
Giosuè ZILOCCHI (Benetton Rugby, 16 caps)
Heelers
Gianmarco LUCCHESI (Benetton Rugby, 17 caps)
Marco MANFREDI (Zebre Parma, 3 caps)
Giacomo NICOTERA (Benetton Rugby, 18 caps)
Second Lines
Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 36 caps)
Edoardo IACHIZZI (Benetton Rugby, 6 caps)
Federico RUZZA (Benetton Rugby, 49 caps)
Andrea ZAMBONIN (Zebre Parma, 3 caps)
Third Lines
Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 16 caps)
Riccardo FAVRETTO (Benetton Rugby, 1 cap)
Alessandro IZEKOR (Benetton Rugby, rookie)
Michele LAMARO (Benetton Rugby, 33 caps)
Sebastian NEGRI (Benetton Rugby, 52 caps)
Ross VINTCENT (Exeter, rookie)
Manuel ZULIANI (Benetton Rugby, 17 caps)
Scrumhalf
Alessandro GARBISI (Benetton Rugby, 7 caps)
Martin PAGE-RELO (Lyon, 4 caps)
Stephen VARNEY (Gloucester, 24 caps)
Opening Mids
Tommaso ALLAN (Perpignan, 79 caps)
Paolo GARBISI (Montpellier, 31 caps)
Centers
Juan Ignacio BREX (Benetton Rugby, 30 caps)
Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 12 caps)
Federico MORI (Bayonne, 13 caps)
Marco ZANON (Benetton Rugby, 16 caps)
Wings/Extremes
Pierre BRUNO (Zebre Parma, 15 caps)
Ange CAPUOZZO (Stade Toulousain, 16 caps)
Monty IOANE (Lyon 25 caps)
Simone GESI (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)
Lorenzo PANI (Zebre Parma, 5 caps)
These are the upcoming appointments of the National men’s team:
Gathering January 4-5, Verona
Gathering from January 22 in Verona
From Jan. 27, Italy gathering in Rome
03.02.24 – 3:15 p.m.
Italy v England
11.02.24 – 3 pm local time (16 ITA)
Ireland v Italy
25.02.24 – 4 pm
France v Italy
9.03.24 – 3:15 pm
Italy v Scotland
16.03.24 – 2:15 pm local (3:15 pm ITA)
Wales v Italy
