Italrugby, Gonzalo Quesada names 35: two absolute new entries, there's also a return after more than a year

Ahead of the gathering to prepare for the fall test matches (on Nov. 8 against Australia in Udine, Nov. 15 against South Africa in Turin, and Nov. 22 against Chile in Genoa), the head coach of the men&#8217s national rugby team, Gonzalo Quesada, has summoned 35 athletes: the Azzurri will meet in Verona on Sunday, Oct. 26, and until the 29th will be in compact ranks: after Wednesday only the players committed with Benetton and Zebre Parma will remain at the Argentine coach&#8217s disposal.

Two absolute novelties: they are Edoardo Todaro, Northampton three-quarter back from some excellent performances with the Saints to start the 2025-2026 season, and Enoch Opoku Gyamfi, second line under contract with Bath. Another ‘uncapped’ is Damiano Mazza, Zebre’s center, previously called up for the tour of South Africa.

Also returning after more than a year’s absence due to injury is Lorenzo Pani: the 23-year-old Florentine, Zebre’s three-quarterback/extremist, is remembered among other things for scoring the goal voted the most beautiful ever in the 2024 Six Nations, a mark scored by the Azzurri at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium after running for nearly 50 meters with the ball in his hands.

Below is the list of the 35 summoned:

Piloni
Simone FERRARI (Benetton Rugby, 66 caps)
Danilo FISCHETTI (Northampton Saints 55 caps)
Muhamed HASA (Zebre Parma 3 caps)
Marco RICCIONI (Saracens, 34 caps)
Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 16 caps)

Talloners
Tommaso DI BARTOLOMEO (Zebre Parma, 3 caps)
Pablo DIMCHEFF (Colomiers Rugby, 2 caps)
Giacomo NICOTERA (Stade Français, 34 caps)

Second Lines
Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 55 caps)
Riccardo FAVRETTO (Benetton Rugby, 7 caps)
Enoch OPOKU GYAMFI (Bath, rookie)
Federico RUZZA (Benetton Rugby, 64 caps)
Andrea ZAMBONIN (Exeter Chiefs, 12 caps)

Third Lines
Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 30 caps)
Alessandro IZEKOR (Benetton Rugby, 6 caps)
Michele LAMARO (Benetton Rugby, 48 caps)
Sebastian NEGRI (Benetton Rugby, 65 caps)
Manuel ZULIANI (Benetton Rugby, 35 caps)
Ross VINTCENT (Exeter Chiefs, 17 caps)

Medians of the scrum
Alessandro GARBISI (Benetton Rugby, 18 caps)
Martin PAGE-RELO (Bordeaux, 18 caps)
Stephen VARNEY (Exeter Chiefs, 34 caps)

Opening Mids
Tommaso ALLAN (Perpignan, 86 caps)
Giacomo DA RE (Zebre Parma, 5 caps)
Paolo GARBISI (Toulon, 47 caps)

Centers
Juan Ignacio BREX (Toulon, 46 caps)
Leonardo MARIN (Benetton Rugby, 15 caps)
Damiano MAZZA (Zebre Parma, rookie)
Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 31 caps)

Ali/Estremi
Ange CAPUOZZO (Stade Toulousain, 28 caps)
Monty IOANE (Lyon, 39 caps)
Louis LYNAGH (Benetton Rugby, 7 caps)
Lorenzo PANI (Zebre Parma, 8 caps)
Edoardo TODARO (Northampton Saints, rookie)

Invited
Mirko BELLONI (Zebre Parma, 2 caps)