The Azzurri team to tackle Boks revealed
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Keiran Crowley announced a 34-man squad for Italy’s three Test matches in the upcoming year-end Tests.
The Azzurri face Samoa in Padua on November 5, then Australia in Florence the following Saturday and then world champion South Africa in Genoa on November 19.
Italy has won three of their last four Tests, the most dramatic being their last-gasp win at Wales in March which end their 36-match Six Nations losing streak.
The architects of the famous last-minute try which won that match 22-21 in Cardiff, Ange Capuozzo and Edoardo Padovani, are both in the squad, as is their star fly-half Paolo Garbisi.
Italy squad
Forwards: Pietro Ceccarelli (Brive/France), Simone Ferrari (Benetton), Danilo Fichetti (London Irish/England), Ivan Nemer (Benetton), Ion Neculai (Zebre Parma), Luca Bigi (Zebre Parma), Gianmarco Lucchesi (Benetton), Giacomo Nicotera (Benetton), Niccolo Cannone (Benetton), Marco Fuser (Massy/France), Federico Ruzza (Benetton), David Sisi (Zebre Parma), Luca Andreani (Zebre Parma), Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton), Toa Halafihi (Benetton), Michele Lamaro (Benetton, captain), Sebastian Negri (Benetton), Giovanni Pettinelli (Benetton), Manuel Zuliani (Benetton).
Backs: Manfredi Albanese (Benetton), Alessandro Garbisi (Benetton), Stephen Varney (Gloucester/England), Tommaso Allan (Harlequins/England), Paolo Garbisi (Montpellier/France), Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton), Enrico Lucchin (Zebre Parma), Tommaso Menoncello (Benetton), Luca Morisi (London Irish/England), Pierre Bruno (Zebre Parma), Michele Campagnaro (Colomiers/France), Montanna Ioane (Melbourne Rebels/Australia), Edoardo Padovani (Benetton), Ange Capuozzo (Toulouse/France), Leonardo Marin (Benetton).
