(Reuters) – Tommaso Allan returns from a break and Dino Lamb is back from injury, with both included in Gonzalo Quesada’s Italy squad named on Thursday for the November internationals, while Stephen Varney misses out.
Allan stepped away from the Italy side during this year’s Six Nations championship to spend more time with his family, and also missed the summer series in July, but Quesada can again count on the services of the experienced flyhalf.
Lamb receives his first call-up from Quesada, having earned his six caps under previous coach Kieran Crowley last year, making three appearances at the World Cup, but injury kept the English-born lock out of this year’s matches.
Quesada has named two uncapped players, hooker Tommaso Di Bartolomeo and centre Giulio Bertaccini, in his 34-man squad for the matches against Argentina, Georgia and New Zealand, while fullback Matt Gallagher, who made his debut in July’s defeat to Samoa, is also included.
Varney has been left out, with the Welsh-born scrumhalf currently out of favour at Gloucester. He is expected to leave for a new club shortly.
“We have focused on a group of players who have shown a high level of performance at the moment where most of them know our principles and game mechanisms well,” Quesada said.
“We will face three different opponents in three challenges that have great charm.
“Argentina, back from the best Rugby Championship in its history, Georgia after the match we all remember in Batumi and we will close with New Zealand about a year after the last challenge at the World Cup.”
Italy play Argentina on Nov. 9 in Udine, Georgia in Genoa on Nov. 17 and take on the All Blacks in Turin on Nov. 23.
Squad
Forwards: Lorenzo Cannone, Pietro Ceccarelli, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Simone Ferrari, Danilo Fischetti, Dino Lamb, Sebastian Negri, Marco Riccioni, Mirco Spagnolo, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Giacomo Nicotera, Niccolo Cannone, Andrea Zambonin, Riccardo Favretto, Alessandro Izekor, Michele Lamaro, Ross Vintcent, Manuel Zuliani, Federico Ruzza
Backs: Tommaso Allan, Alessandro Garbisi, Martin Page-Relo, Leonardo Marin, Juan Ignacio Brex, Tommaso Menoncello, Marco Zanon, Ange Capuozzo, Monty Ioane, Louis Lynagh, Giulio Bertaccini, Alessandro Fusco, Matt Gallagher, Paolo Garbisi, Jacopo Trulla
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes; Editing by Toby Davis)
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