Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has named a 33-man squad for a training camp in Turin ahead of their November 7 Test against the Springboks, with Montpellier flyhalf Domingo Miotti receiving his first Italian call-up.
Born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Miotti qualifies for the Azzurri through Italian heritage and under World Rugby Regulation 8, having last represented Argentina on July 9, 2022. Quesada revealed the process of bringing Miotti into the Italian fold began three years ago.
"It all started three years ago when I arrived in Italy. He let me know that, having an Italian grandfather, he could represent the Italian national team," Quesada said. "This year, we resumed contact. He explained that he would wait until July and that he would be happy to be considered for the Italian national team."
Miotti joins Paolo Garbisi, Tommaso Allan and Giacomo Da Re as flyhalves in the squad, a depth Quesada views as a significant asset. "With Paolo Garbisi, Tommaso Allan, Giacomo Da Re and Miotti, we have four interesting options at flyhalf, each with different characteristics. This gives us greater depth and healthy internal competition."
Miotti missed last week's training due to injury but is cleared to resume normal preparation. Quesada described him as "a great player and an excellent person" who showed strong motivation in choosing Italy despite having the option to continue pursuing an Argentina return.
The November series also includes Tests against Argentina and Fiji, making it four consecutive matches against top-ranked nations. "One of the greatest challenges in the history of Italian rugby awaits us," Quesada acknowledged.
Full squad: Simone Ferrari, Danilo Fishetti, Muhamed Hasa, Ion Neculai, Ivan Nemer, Giosuè Zilocchi, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Giacomo Nicotera, Niccolò Cannone, Mattia Midena, Enoch Opoku Gyamfi, Federico Ruzza, Lorenzo Cannone, Samuele Locatelli, Alessandro Ortombina, Ross Vintcent, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Garbisi, Alessandro Fusco, Stephen Varney, Tommaso Allan, Paolo Garbisi, Domingo Miotti, Leonardo Marin, Damiano Mazza, Federico Mori, Paolo Odogwu, Mirko Belloni, Ange Capuozzo, Matt Gallagher, Monty Ioane, Federico Zanandrea. Invited players: Lorenzo Pani, Jaheim Noel Wilson.