Italy name three uncapped players for summer tour

Italy coach Jacque Brunel on Tuesday called up three uncapped players for the June tour to play Fiji, Samoa and Japan.

Zebre props Dario Chistolini and Andrea De Marchi, and scrum-half Guglielmo Palazzani will all travel, having already been part of the Six Nations squad without taking to the pitch.

Notable absentees from Brunel's 30-man squad are Toulon prop Martin Castrogiovanni and Stade Francais No 8 Sergio Parisse.

Zebre's South African-born lock Quintin Geldenhuys will captain the squad.

Italy will play Fiji in Suva on June 7, Samoa in Apia a week later, and finally Japan in Tokyo on June 21.

Squad

Forwards (17): Matias Aguero (Zebre), Dario Chistolini (Zebre), Lorenzo Cittadini (Treviso), Alberto De Marchi (Treviso), Andrea De Marchi (Zebre), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Treviso), Davide Giazzon (Zebre), Andrea Manici (Zebre), George Fabio Biagi (Zebre), Marco Bortolami (Zebre), Marco Fuser (Treviso), Quintin Geldenhuys (Zebre - capitain), Robert Barbieri (Treviso), Mauro Bergamasco (Zebre), Paul Derbyshire (Treviso), Joshua Furno (Biarritz/FRA), Manoa Vosawai (Treviso)

Backs (13): Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre), Tito Tebaldi (Ospreys/WAL), Tommaso Allan (Perpignan/FRA), Luciano Orquera (Zebre), Michele Campagnaro (Treviso), Angelo Esposito (Treviso), Gonzalo Garcia (Zebre), Tommaso Iannone (Zebre), Andrea Masi (Wasps/ENG), Luke McLean (Treviso), Leonardo Sarto (Zebre), Alberto Sgarbi (Treviso), Giovanbattista Venditti (Zebre)