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Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada may have kept things familiar when he named his first training squad ahead of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, but one name and position stood out, that of Paolo Odogwu among the centres.
Italy’s squad will meet up on Sunday 25 January in Verona for a week’s preparation before they return to their Rome base for the build up to their tournament opener against Scotland in Rome on Saturday 7 February. Quesada’s side also host England and are on the road to face Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, France in Lille, and Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Odogwu has played predominantly on the wing in his seven appearances for the Azzurri, with only a 20-minute cameo in the centres against Uruguay during Rugby World Cup 2023. However, he has played outside centre in two of Benetton’s three matches this year, and clearly something has caught Quesada’s eye.
INJURY DELAY
Against the Dragons in the Challenge Cup, he scored two tries from 18 carries, while against Edinburgh in the United Rugby Championship (URC) he made nine carries, including one line-break, and beat five defenders. Clearly Quesada thinks it is worth putting him closer to the ball.
After he won six caps in 2023, the 28-year-old struggled with injuries, and he then didn’t appear until their tour fixture against Namibia last June and didn’t play during the November Internationals.
He is one of five centres selected, along with the familiar duo of Tommaso Menoncello and Juan Ignacio Brex, Zebre newcomer Damiano Mazza, and Leonardo Marin, who is effectively Italy’s third flyhalf behind Paolo Garbisi and Giacomo De Re. Tommaso Allan is among those ruled out with injury.
TODARO WAITING IN THE WINGS
There is a recall for Zebre fullback Lorenzo Pani, who scored the 2024 Try of the Championship on his last appearance against Wales. However, Ange Capuozzo hasn’t recovered in time from a broken finger but is expected to feature later in the tournament.
Edoardo Todaro is rewarded for more impressive performances on the wing for Northampton Saints and has the chance to add to his debut cap that he won against Chile in November.
Michele Lamaro returns as captain after injury meant Brex took the armband in November, but Italy will be without familiar forward faces Ross Vintcent, Sebastian Negri, and Gianmarco Lucchesi who are also injured.