In a tough group, Italy were denied chance to try to reach the last eight by Typhoon Hagibis
Italy Rugby World Cup Fixtures, Squad, Group, Guide
They were in the group of death alongside New Zealand and South Africa so it would have been surprising to see them progress. Yet while it was unlikely they would have beaten the All Blacks, they were denied the chance to try to reach the last eight by the cancellation of that match due to Typhoon Hagibis.
How They Qualified
Italy were one of the 12 automatic qualifiers for the 2019 tournament.
Key Players
No 8 Sergio Parisse is their long-term talisman but, at 36, there’s not much juice left in the tank. Matteo Minozzi embodies the brio of the younger brigade while Sebastian Negri and David Sisi are powerful forces up front.
Live wire: Matteo Minozzi is the best of a new brigade of Italian rugby players (Getty Images)
The Coach – Conor O’Shea
The Irishman swapped Quins for the Azzurri in 2016 and has spent much of his reign deflecting criticism of the Six Nations wooden spoonists.
Criticised: Conor O’Shea has spent much of his time deflecting it away (Getty Images)
Major Work-ons
Keeping possession has been a thorn in their side, leading to early fatigue as they rack up the tackles. Poor finishing is another weakness but accuracy should improve as a youthful team gains Test experience.
Italy Rugby World Cup Warm-ups
- Saturday 10 August 2019: Ireland 29-10 Italy
- Saturday 17 August 2019: Italy 85-15 Russia
- Friday 30 August 2019: France 47-19 Italy
- Friday 6 September 2019: England 37-0 Italy
Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Warm-ups
Italy Rugby World Cup Group
Italy are in Group B with New Zealand, South Africa, Namibia and Canada.
Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Groups
Italy Rugby World Cup Kit
The symbol of Leonardo da Vinci on the new Macron jerseys for the Italian National Rugby team. #WorkHardPlayHarder @Federugby pic.twitter.com/W2KQBfsc4q
— Macron (@MacronSports) July 30, 2019
Italy Rugby World Cup Fixtures
- Sun 22 Sep Italy 47-22 Namibia (Osaka) Match report
- Thu 26 Sept Italy 48-7 Canada (Fukuoka) Match report
- Fri 4 Oct South Africa 49-3 Italy (Shizuoka) Match Report
- Sat 12 Oct New Zealand 0-0 Italy (Toyota) Match cancelled – click here for story
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One sided: Italy and the All Blacks are in the same group, and last played each other in 2016 (Getty Images)
Italy Rugby World Cup Squad
Forwards (18):
Simone Ferrari
Andrea Lovotti
Tiziano Pasquali
Nicola Quaglio
Marco Riccioni
Federico Zani
Luca Bigi
Oliviero Fabiani
Leonardo Ghiraldini
Dean Budd
Federico Ruzza
David Sisi
Alessandro Zanni
Maxime Mbanda
Sebastian Negri
Sergio Parisse (captain)
Jake Polledri
Abraham Steyn
Backs (13):
Callum Braley
Guglielmo Palazzani
Tito Tebaldi
Tommaso Allan
Carlo Canna
Tommaso Benvenuti
Michele Campagnaro
Luca Morisi
Mattia Bellini
Giulio Bisegni
Jayden Hayward
Matteo Minozzi
Edoardo Padovani
Related: 2019 Rugby World Cup Fixtures
Previous World Cup Results and Record
Italy’s Rugby World Cup Record: P32 W13 D1 L18
- 1987 Pool stages
- 1991 Pool stages
- 1995 Pool stages
- 1999 Pool stages
- 2003 Pool stages
- 2007 Pool stages
- 2011 Pool stages
- 2015 Pool stages
- 2019 Pool stages
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