Italy are the latest side to have announced their 2015 Rugby World Cup squad, with under a month until the competition kicks off. 

Head coach Jacques Brunel has kept star-man Sergio Parisse as captain, for their campaign which begins against the French at Twickenham on September 19. 

Parisse is one of three men in the squad who have over 100 Test caps, including flanker Mauro Bergamasco, who will be competing in his fifth Rugby World Cup. 

Brunel full of confidence

Brunel's side began their warm-up matches with a home defeat against Scotland (12-16), yet he is full of belief that this squad can create history. 

"Our ambition is to qualify for the quarter-finals, getting out of the group stage for the first time in the history of Italian rugby, and we have focused our energy and made our decisions based on reaching that goal."

The Frenchman said he is confident that his side will peak during the event after two strong months of training. 

Young stars set to shine

Alongside the experienced heads in the Italian camp, there are 16 World Cup rookies who have been selected for the upcoming tournament.

Of those World Cup first-timers, the likes of Tommaso Allan and Luca Morisi are destined for big things after impressive performances in the most recent Six Nations.

After Italy's opener against Les Bleus, Italy then take on Canada at Elland Road, before games against European sides, Ireland and Romania in the battle for qualification from Pool D. 

Squad in full

Props: Matias Aguero, Martin Castrogiovanni, Dario Chistolini, Lorenzo Cittadini, Michele Rizzo.

Hookers: Leonardo Ghiraldini, Davide Giazzon, Andrea Manici. 

Locks: Valerio Bernabo, Joshua Furno, Marco Fuser, Quintin Geldenhuys.

Loose Forwards: Mauro Bergamasco, Francesco Minto, Sergio Parisse (Captain), Samuela Vunisa, Alessandro Zanni.

Scrum-Halves: Edoardo Gori, Guglielmo Palazzani, Marcello Violi.

Fly-Halves: Tommaso Allan, Carlo Canna.

Centres: Tommaso Benvenuti, Michele Campagnaro, Luca Morisi, Gonzalo Garcia.

Outside Backs: Andrea Masi, Luke McLean, Leonardo Sarto, Giovanbattista Venditti, Angelo Esposito.

VAVEL Logo
About the author