Azzuri select uncapped quartet

Italy coach Jacques Brunel has named four uncapped players in his 30-man squad for the for the first two games of the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

The Azzurri begin the campaign in Paris on February 4 against Brunel’s home nation France before taking on England a week later at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

Brunel, who replaced Nick Mallett at the helm in November, has included a total of 22 players that competed in last year’s World Cup.

However, experienced quartet Salvatore Perugini, Carlos Del Fava, Mirco Bergamasco and Gonzalo Garcia were surprisingly left out of the squad, with Brunel opting to include uncapped youngsters Alberto De Marchi, Luca Morisi, Angelo Esposito and Giovanbattista Venditti instead.

Aironi flanker Mauro Bergamasco returns to the squad having missed last year’s entire tournament with a shoulder injury.

Italy begin training in Rome on Sunday.

Italy squad: Martin Castrogiovanni, Lorenzo Cittadini, Alberto De Marchi, Andrea Lo Cicero, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Tommaso D’Apice, Marco Bortolami, Quintin Geldenhuys, Antonio Pavanello, Cornelius Van Zyl, Robert Barbieri, Mauro Bergamasco, Paul Derbyshire, Simone Favaro, Sergio Parisse, Alessandro Zanni, Edoardo Gori, Fabio Semenzato, Kristopher Burton, Luciano Orquera, Tommaso Benvenuti, Gonzalo Canale, Luca Morisi, Alberto Sgarbi, Angelo Esposito, Roberto Quartaroli, Giulio Toniolatti, Giovanbattista Venditti, Andrea Masi, Luke McLean.