Italy has chosen a roster of 32 players for the Under-20s Six Nations in 2021, ahead of their first match against England on February 2.
All of Italy's matches at the tournament will be played over 20 minutes with a five-minute half-time break. The only exception is the final, which will be a full 30 minutes long. There is no extra time frame assigned to any other match.
The squad features several names that will be familiar to European rugby fans, such as Andrea Masi, Gianluca Inzoli, Alessandro Zanni, and Leonardo Senatore. It also includes some newcomers, including American center Matthew Iavaroni and South African lock Jeffrey Janocey.
Inzoli will lead the Italian side against England while Gregor Townsend, who recently resigned as Scotland's coach, will manage the English team.
Italy lost to England by one point at this stage last year, but went on to win the tournament. This year's match will be held at Stadio Euganeo in Turin.
England's U20s finished top of their group at the 2020 World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Japan, winning all three of their matches.
Italy has competed in a number of competitions, and all players, whether starting eleven or replacements, are included below. To date, no player has been able to win more than one medal; however, several have won multiple gold medals. Giuseppe Meazza is the most decorated player with five gold medals.
Giovanni Trapattoni was Italy's manager from 2004 to 2016. During his time as manager, he qualified Italy for two UEFA European Championships and one FIFA World Cup. He also led Italy into their first ever semi-final at a FIFA World Cup, but they were defeated by Spain 1-4 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 after extra time. In September 2016, he was hired as coach of Sunderland AFC.
Below is the list of players who have won at least one medal. Players who are still active are listed with their current club. If you are looking for the list of coaches, see here.
1922 - Vittorio Pozzo (footballer) starts playing with A.S. Roma. He will later become one of the most successful managers in the world, winning three European Championships and one World Cup with Italy.
Italy's national football team/Sport Club Internazionale is one of the most successful in world football history. It has won the World Cup once, in 1954, and the European Championship twice, in 1968 and 1972.
The Italian national rugby union team has been called "Azzurri" since its creation in 1903. They have never missed the knock-out stages of a major tournament, finishing as runners-up at the 1958, 1982 and 1990 events.
The Italian national basketball team is one of the most successful in Europe, having won the EuroBasket three times in 1936, 1940, and 1944. It has also won the Olympic gold medal in 1928.
There is a special relationship between soccer and rugby in Italy because both games were introduced by foreigners. English players founded the Italian Football Federation in 1890 and French players created the Italian Rugby Union in 1903. However, it is not just foreign influence that has brought success to Italian sport; there is also evidence of early domestic sporting achievement.
For example, American cyclist Edward O'Brien won the first ever Tour de France in 1919.
The Italian national cricket team is the national team that represents Italy in international cricket matches. They have been an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council since 1984 and an associate member since 1995. They played their first official international match on 3 June 1985, when they lost to Scotland by one wicket at St Rollox Church Park, Edinburg.
They have never qualified for the World Cup or the Champions Trophy but did compete in the European Championship from 1993 to 2001 when they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by England. In addition to their matches against Scotland, Italy also plays Ireland, which means they are the only country to have played all five major cricketing nations. Their record against these opponents is 0-5.
Italy's only two Test matches were played against England at Lord's and The Oval in 1877 and 1978 respectively. These were the first ever Test matches and each side won one game. Although neither match was officially recognized by the then governing body of cricket, the MCCU, as being a true Test series there has been some discussion about whether or not this makes them the world's oldest surviving Test match series.
In first-class cricket, Italy mostly play within the European region of the ICC, with the exception of competing in the Americas Division from 1994 to 1996 and 2009 to 2011.
It is made up of professional football clubs (for-profit organizations similar to the NFL, NBA, or Major League Baseball in the United States). The national squad of Italy is known as La Squadra Azzura ("The Blue Team," named for the uniforms). It competes in international, Olympic-style tournaments against the national teams of other countries. Its best result so far has been second place at the UEFA European Football Championship in 1964 and 2008.
Italy has won the World Cup twice, in 1934 with Benito Mussolini's Black Shirts and again in 1990 with San Marino relegated after a 0-0 draw with France in the last match of the group stage.
The most successful club in Italy is Juventus, with 12 championships. They have also won five Coppa Italias (Italian Cups). Roma and Milan have each won three titles. There are several other clubs that have won one championship each. In addition to these major clubs, there are many others that are only able to afford a part-time staff and use amateurs instead of paid players during most of the season. These smaller clubs include: AC Fiorentina, AS Roma, Calcio Catania, Cagliari Calcio, Chievo Verona, Emilia-Romagna team for whom he played most of his career, FC Internazionale Milano, L'Aquila Calcio, Lazio Rome, and Palermo Siculo.
According to the IRB, Italy is ranked 14th in the world as of September 30, 2019. Italian rugby grew to prominence when it was introduced to the Five Nations in 2000, resulting in the Six Nations. The addition of France and England to this tournament made it the most prestigious in Europe and the world.
Italy's first match after joining the Five Nations was a loss to Japan, but they went on to finish second that year to win their first title. In 2001, Italy won its first series since 1958 by defeating Wales, Scotland, and France. This was followed by two more titles in 2002 and 2003 and has not finished outside the top three since then. In 2007, Italy took part in its first World Cup, but was eliminated at the quarter-final stage by South Africa. It was also in 2007 that Italy played its first match against an international opponent other than France or England, when it faced Georgia at Parc des Sports de Beaulieu. This was also the only time that Italy has failed to score a try in one of its games.
The 2008 season saw Italy qualify for its first ever Grand Slam, but they were defeated by England in the final game of the season. It was also in 2008 that Italy began playing some of its home matches in another country, when it moved its opening match of the season to Dublin's Croke Park.