Chiefs duo return to starting line-up for Italy
Published on: 12/11/2026
Exeter Chiefs pair Stephen Varney and Ross Vintcent have both been drafted back into the starting XV for Italy as they face Argentina on Saturday.
They were both involved in the unfortunate 7-66 defeat to current World Rugby top seed, South Africa. Having come off the bench in Torino, they return to the starting side in Genoa.
Italian head coach Gonzalo Quesada gives the captain’s armband to hooker Giacomo Nicotera for a second week. He has a new loosehead prop alongside him in the front-row as Northampton Saints’ Danilo Fischetti rotates into the starting line-up.
Meanwhile, in the back-row, Vintcent links up with Manuel Zuliani and Lorenzo Cannone as Varney partners Paolo Garbisi behind the set piece.
Italy v Argentina is the first match of the weekend, kicking off at 11:40 UK time on Saturday morning.
Italy:
15 Tommaso Allan (Zebre Parma, 92 caps)
14 Ange Capuozzo (Stade Toulousain, 33 caps)
13 Paolo Odogwu (Benetton Rugby, 11 caps)
12 Leonardo Marin (Benetton Rugby, 26 caps)
11 Monty Ioane (Lyon, 50 caps)
10 Paolo Garbisi (Perpignan, 58 caps)
9 Stephen Varney (Exeter Chiefs 40 caps)
8 Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 41 caps)
7 Manuel Zuliani (Benetton Rugby, 44 caps)
6 Ross Vintcent (Exeter Chiefs, 23 caps)
5 Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby, 75 caps)
4 Niccolò Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 66 caps)
3 Simone Ferrari (Benetton Rugby, 74 caps)
2 Giacomo Nicotera (Stade Français, 42 caps) – captain
1 Danilo Fischetti (Northampton Saints 67 caps)
Replacements:
16 Gianmarco Lucchesi (Toulon, 36 caps)
17 Muhamed Hasa (Zebre Parma, 12 caps)
18 Marco Riccioni (Perpignan, 39 caps)
19 Enoch Opoku Gyamfi (Bath, 2 caps)
20 Alessandro Ortombina (Zebre Parma, 3 caps)
21 Samuele Locatelli (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)
22 Alessandro Garbisi (Benetton Rugby 25 caps)
23 Federico Mori (Bayonne, 17 caps)
Written By:
Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club
