Moreno props up Italy tour
Already shorn of five first-choice props, Italy coach Nick Mallett took another blow to the front row at the weekend, with Treviso's Salvatore Costanzo ruled out of the Italian tour to South Africa and Argentina.
Already shorn of five first-choice props, Italy coach Nick Mallett took another blow to the front row at the weekend, with Treviso's Salvatore Costanzo ruled out of the Italian tour to South Africa and Argentina.
As a result, 35-year-old Leicester prop Alejandro Moreno will go on tour for his first cap since 2002.
“It's an extremely difficult tour, there's no point denying it, but our objectives are clear,” said Mallett, who appointed Leonardo Ghiraldini as captain.
“We have to do without at least eight or nine first-choice players who are either injured or still involved with their clubs so we will take advantage of this international window to experiment.
“We will evaluate some young players and give them the opportunity to test themselves against two of the best sides in the world.
“If, when we return to Rome, we have found one or two players who can hack it on the international stage in the Italy jersey, particularly in the backs, we can consider the tour a success.”
Other well-known names absent are French-based captain Sergio Parisse, Mauro and Mirco Bergamasco and injured Gloucester lock Marco Bortolami.
Italy tour squad Рrevised: Robert Barbieri (Benetton Treviso, 6 Caps), Pablo Canavosio (Castres Olympique, 18 Caps), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Ulster, 28 Caps), Santiago Dellap̬ (Biarritz Olympique, 50 Caps), Jaco Erasmus (Montepaschi Viadana, 2 Caps), Gonzalo Garcia (Cammi Calvisano, uncapped), Leonardo Ghiraldini (captain) (Cammi Calvisano, 11 Caps), Andrea Marcato (Benetton Treviso, 7 Caps), Andrea Masi (Biarritz Olympique, 40 Caps), Luke Mclean (Cammi Calvisano, uncapped), Alejandro Moreno (Leicester tigers, 4 caps), Carlos Nieto (Gloucester, 26 Caps), Ludovico Maria Nitoglia (Cammi Calvisano, 17 Caps), Fabio Ongaro (Saracens, 53 Caps), Enrico Patrizio (Carrera Petrarca Padova, 3 Caps), Riccardo Pavan (Overmach Cariparma, uncapped), Simon Picone (Benetton Treviso, 15 Caps), Matteo Pratichetti (Cammi Calvisano, 8 Caps), Tommaso Reato (Femi Cz Rovigo, 1 Cap), Michele Rizzo (Carrera Petrarca Padova, 1 Cap), Kaine Robertson (Montepaschi Viadana, 30 Caps), Ignacio Rouyet (Montepaschi Viadana, Esordiente), Josh Sole (Montepaschi Viadana, 28 Caps), Alessandro Zanni (Cammi Calvisano, 22 Caps)