Italy suffer double injury blow as Six Nations squad revealed

Italy have been dealt a double injury blow ahead of the Six Nations with Ange Capuozzo and Sebastian Negri absent from a squad named by Gonzalo Quesada ahead of the tournament.

Toulouse full-back Capuozzo fractured a finger in the Top 14 side’s final game of 2025 and will miss a training camp in Verona, while Negri has not played for Benetton since October.

The pair were omitted from a 33-player squad on a list of injured players that also includes fly half Tommaso Allan, Exeter No 8 Ross Vintcent, hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi and back three man Jacopo Trulla.

Full-back Matt Gallagher, formerly of Saracens and Bath, has been recalled, however, to the group that will assemble on Sunday to begin preparations for Italy’s opener against Scotland in Rome on 7 February.

Flanker Michele Lamaro will again captain the squad despite being under pressure for his place from Manuel Zuliani, while flanker Samuele Locatelli and centre Damiano Mazza, both from Zebre, are the uncapped inclusions.

"At two years out from a World Cup, a little less now, having the chance to bring in some other players, new players, is also an opportunity," head coach Quesada said.

"So that's how we look at it. We never focus too much on what we're missing. We look instead at everything we have and everything we can control."

open image in gallery

Teenage wing Edoardo Todaro retains his place in the squad having made his international debut in November on the back of strong form for Northampton Saints

Prop Simone Ferrari (Benetton Rugby, 69 caps) Danilo Fischetti (Northampton Saints, 58 caps) Muhamed Hasa (Zebre Parma, 4 caps) Marco Riccioni (Saracens, 36 caps) Mirco Spagnolo (Benetton Rugby, 19 caps)

Hooker Tommaso Di Bartolomeo (Zebre Parma, 6 caps) Pablo Dimcheff (Colomiers Rugby, 3 caps) Giacomo Nicotera (Stade Français, 36 caps)

Second row Niccolò Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 58 caps) Riccardo Favretto (Benetton Rugby, 8 caps) Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby, 67 caps) Andrea Zambonin (Exeter Chiefs, 14 caps)

Backrow Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 33 caps) Alessandro Izekor (Benetton Rugby, 8 caps) Michele Lamaro (Benetton Rugby, 49 caps) Samuele Locatelli (Zebre Parma, uncapped) David Odiase (Zebre Parma, 3 caps) Manuel Zuliani (Benetton Rugby, 38 caps)

Scrum half Alessandro Fusco (Zebre Parma, 20 caps) Martin Page-Relo (Bordeaux, 21 caps) Stephen Varney (Exeter Chiefs, 36 caps)

Fly half Giacomo Da Re (Zebre Parma, 6 caps) Paolo Garbisi (Toulon, 49 caps)

Centre Juan Ignacio Brex (Toulon, 49 caps) Leonardo Marin (Benetton Rugby, 17 caps) Damiano Mazza (Zebre Parma, uncapped) Tommaso Menoncello (Benetton Rugby, 34 caps) Paolo Odogwu (Benetton Rugby, 7 caps)

Back three Matt Gallagher (Benetton Rugby, 3 caps) Monty Ioane (Lyon, 42 caps) Louis Lynagh (Benetton Rugby, 9 caps) Lorenzo Pani (Zebre Parma, 8 caps) Edoardo Todaro (Northampton Saints, 1 cap)