Mallett picks 30 players for tour down under

Nick Mallett © Gallo Images

Italy coach Nick Mallett on Monday selected four uncapped players in his 30-man squad for next month's tour to Australia and New Zealand.

Bayonne back Craig Gower and Viadana second row Quintin Geldenhuys have received their first ever calls to the squad while Rovigo's Simone Favaro and Gilberto Pavan of Overmach Parma are the other two uncapped players.

Italy, however, will be without full-back Andrea Masi and hooker Carlo Festuccia, though, as the Racing Metro pair, who both hail from the Abbruzzo region in Italy where there was a major earthquake last month that claimed about 300 lives, have asked to be excused from the tour to be able to spend time with their families.

"I've spoken to Andrea and Carlo, they would have been in the squad," said Mallett. "There's no need to explain that I understand their motivation. They'll be back in the squad for the November Test matches." The squad will meet in Rome on June 1 before leaving for Melbourne two days later.

They face the Wallabies on June 13 in Canberra and then again a week later at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne before heading to New Zealand to face the All Blacks on June 27 in Christchurch.

Having lost their last nine matches, including all five in this year's Six Nations, Mallett knows that he is taking his team into the lion's den.

"I think this tour will be one of the most difficult Italy have ever undertaken," said Mallett.

"We're coming up against two of the best teams in the world but it's a good opportunity for us to progress, especially for our youngest players."

Squad:

Forwards (16): Matias Aguero (Saracens/ENG), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais/FRA), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester/ENG), Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester/ENG), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Ulster/IRL), Simone Favaro (Rovigo), Quintin Geldenhuys (Viadana), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Calvisano), Jean-Francois Montauriol (Venise), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais/FRA -capt), Salvatore Perugini (Toulouse/FRA), Tommaso Reato (Rovigo), Franco Sbaraglini (Treviso), Josh Sole (Viadana), Fabio Staibano (Castres/FRA), Alessandro Zanni (Calvisano).

Backs (14): Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais/FRA), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont/FRA), Pablo Canavosio (Viadana), Gonzalo Garcia (Calvisano), Craig Gower (Bayonne/FRA), Andrea Marcato (Treviso), Luke McLean (Calvisano), Gilberto Pavan (Overmach Parma), Simon Picone (Treviso), Matteo Pratichetti (Calvisano), Roberto Quartaroli (Overmach Parma), Kaine Robertson (Viadana), Giulio Rubini (Overmach Parma), Giulio Toniolatti (Roma).

Read more on the June Internationals page.

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© Sapa - AFP