The Azzurri name team for 2025 Summer Tour

May 21, 2025
1762
Ultimate Rugby

The Italian Men's National Rugby Team Technical Commissioner, has Gonzalo Quesada announced the players called up for the training camp scheduled in L'Aquila – set to begin on Saturday 14 June ahead of their 2025 summer tour to South Africa.

Thirty-three players have been called up by the Italian technical staff and will meet in the Abruzzo capital to begin the run-up to the matches scheduled between June and July against Namibia and the double clash with South Africa.

Seven uncapped athletes have been named, with Colomiers hooker Pablo Dimcheff – who's maternal grandparents are of Calabrian origin – will see him earn his first ever call-up to the Men's Senior National Team.

Back for David Odiase, new acquisition of Zebre who was part of the blue group in the Summer Tour 2024, Giovanni Montemauri. Canali, Di Bartolomeo and Hasa took part in the national team training camps in preparation for the Six Nations 2025, while for Mirko Belloni – three-quarters in the Rovigo force who earned the pass for the final of the Elite Men's Series A – comes the first official call-up after the invitations to participate in the training camps during the last edition of the Six Nations.

The list of players called up includes Alessandro Fusco – absent from the Autumn Nations Series – as well as Giacomo Da Re and Paolo Odogwu, who received their first call-up to Italy under the technical guidance of Gonzalo Quesada. Federico Mori is also back, just over a year after his last call-up to the 2024 Six Nations.

“The management of the athletes on one side – and the desire to give opportunities to some young players – are the two fundamental aspects that we have taken into account, together with the technical staff, in choosing the squad for the next Summer Tour. There are players who have had very high minutes in the last two seasons: we have taken into account their recovery and how to best manage the group. This is also an important opportunity for some athletes to compete at this level, as well as a reward for the commitment shown during the season with their performances. The staff in the next tour will have the opportunity to work with a group made up of a mix of young and experienced athletes. Next season will be very important, the last before the World Cup: we aim to have a general idea of who we can involve towards the Rugby World Cup 2027 and try to increase the depth of the squad we have available” said Gonzalo Quesada.

This is the schedule of matches for Italy in the 2025 Summer Tour:

27.06.25 Namibia v Italy – Windhoek, Hage Geingbob Stadium

05.07.25 South Africa v Italy – Pretoria, Loftus Versfeld

12.07.25 South Africa v Italy – Porth Elizabeth, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

This is the list of athletes called up:

Pylons

Danilo FISCHETTI (Zebre Parma, 52 caps)

Muhamed HASA (Zebre Parma, debutant)

Marco RICCIONI (Saracens, 33 caps)

Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 14 caps)

Joshua ZILOCCHI (Benetton Rugby, 24 caps)

Hookers