Italy have appeared in every World Cup so far. Somewhat surprisingly, they have never made it past the group stages.
In Italy’s defence, they have had no luck of the draw since 1987, when they were New Zealand’s victims in the tournament’s opening match. The All Blacks have plagued Italy ever since: the two nations have been drawn in the same pool five times in six World Cups, with Italy finishing second-best on each occasion.
Happily for the Italians, this time they have managed to avoid the Kiwi menace. A victory against Australia might be beyond them in Pool C, but the prize of second place in the group is a realistic goal for the Azzurri.
World Cup Squad:
Forwards: Robert Julian Barbieri, Mauro Bergamasco, Marco Bortolami, Martin Castrogiovanni, Lorenzo Cittadini, Tommaso D'Apice, Carlo Antonio Del Fava, Paul Derbyshire, Quintin Geldenhuys, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Andrea Lo Cicero, Sergio Parisse, Salvatore Perugini, Fabio Ongaro, Alessandro Zanni, Cornelius Van Zyl.
Backs: Tommaso Benvenuti, Mirco Bergamasco, Riccardo Bocchino, Gonzalo Canale, Pablo Canovosio, Gonzalo Garcia, Edoardo Gori, Andrea Masi, Luke McLean, Luciano Orquera, Andrea Pratichetti, Fabio Semenzato, Alberto Sgarbi, Giulio Toniolatti.
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