Italy drop injured Leonardo Sarto but include Marco Riccioni in Six Nations squad

By Joe Shread

Image: Conor O'Shea has named his 31-man squad to play England

Italy have named their 31-man squad for their opening Six Nations match against England.

Wing Leonardo Sarto misses out after dislocating his shoulder and has returned to Glasgow Warriors.

Image: Leonardo Sarto is one of the three players to miss out on the squad after dislocating his shoulder

Twenty-year-old Treviso prop Marco Riccioni has been retained, though, after impressing during a three-day training camp in Rome, and could make his debut against England.

Scrum-half Tito Tebaldi and lock Marco Fuser, who has been suffering with concussion, are the other players to drop out of the original 34-man squad.

The two veterans, captain Sergio Parisse and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini, are included, as is Alessandro Zanni, who returns after a two-year absence and is now in line for his long-awaited 100th cap.

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Image: 33-year-old Sergio Parisse will once again lead the Italians in the upcoming Six Nations

Head coach Conor O'Shea said: "It was a really positive gathering. We wish Leonardo a speedy recovery from his injury and we have no doubt that we will need the entire group, including players who have not been called up for these first two games, for what is an incredibly challenging tournament."

Italy, who have finished last in the previous two Six Nations, open their campaign against reigning champions England on February 4 in Rome.

Also See:

ITALY SQUAD

Forwards: Simone Ferrari, Andrea Lovotti, Tiziano Pasquali, Nicola Quaglio, Marco Riccioni, Luca Bigi, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Oliviero Fabiani, George Biagi, Dean Budd, Federico Ruzza, Alexander Zanni, Renato Giammarioli, Giovanni Licata, Maxime Mbanda , Sebastian Negri, Sergio Parisse (capt), Abraham Steyn.

Backs: Edoardo Gori, Marcello Violi, Tomasso Allan, Carlo Canna, Ian McKinley, Mattia Bellini, Tomasso Benvenuti, Giulio Bisegni, Tomasso Boni, Tomasso Castello, Jayden Hayward, Matteo Minozzi, Edoardo Padovani.

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