Italy get a playmaker boost ahead of November Tests

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Tommaso Allan will return to international duty for Italy after an eight-month absence following his selection on Thursday in coach Gonzalo Quesada’s 34-man squad for the Nations Series.

Perpignan flyhalf Allan announced in February that he would put his international career on hold to prioritise spending time with his family but returns for matches with Argentina, Georgia and New Zealand next month.

Italy won two matches and drew another in an impressive Six Nations earlier in the year, and former Argentina flyhalf Quesada continued his promising start to his tenure as head coach with further wins over Japan and Tonga in July.

Allan missed all of those positive results, making the last of his 80 Italy appearances during the 24-27 home defeat by England which kicked off their most recent Six Nations campaign.

Italy squad:

Forwards: Tommaso di Bartolomeo (Parma), Lorenzo Cannone (Treviso), Niccolo Cannone Treviso), Pietro Ceccarelli (Perpignan/FRA), Riccardo Favretto (Treviso), Simone Ferrari (Treviso), Danilo Fischetti (Parma), Alessandro Izekor (Treviso), Michele Lamaro (Treviso), Dino Lamb (Harlequins/ENG), Gianmarco Lucchesi (Toulon/FRA), Sebastian Negri (Treviso), Giacomo Nicotera (Stade Francais/FRA), Federico Ruzza (Treviso), Marco Riccioni (Saracens/ENG), Mirco Spagnolo (Treviso), Ross Vintcent (Exeter/ENG), Andrea Zambonin (Parma), Manuel Zuliani (Treviso).

Backs: Tommaso Allan (Perpignan/FRA), Giulio Bertaccini (Valorugby Emilia), Juan Ignacio Brex (Treviso), Ange Capuozzo (Toulouse/FRA), Alessandro Fusco (Parma), Matt Gallagher (Treviso), Alessandro Garbisi (Treviso), Paolo Garbisi (Toulon/FRA), Monty Ioane (Lyon/FRA), Louis Lynagh (Treviso), Leonardo Marin (Treviso), Tommaso Menoncello (Treviso), Martin Page-Relo (Lyon/FRA), Jacopo Trulla (Parma), Marco Zanon (Treviso).