Chiefs in Italy Squad for Second Springboks Test

Three Chiefs - Ross Vintcent, Andrea Zambonin and Stephen Varney - have been named in the Italian side to take on the Springboks in a second test match.

Gonzalo Quesada, Italy Head Coach, has named his line-up that will face South Africa on Saturday 12 July at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the third and final Test Match of the 2025 Summer Tour.

Confrontation number 18 between the two teams sees five changes in the Azzurri starting XV compared to the match played in Pretoria. 

An unprecedented back three of Mirko Belloni at full-back – in his first start for Italy – and Lynagh and Trulla on the wings. The centre is formed by Menoncello and Zanon.

In the back row Ross Vintcent will wear the No. 8 jersey with Zuliani and the returning Sebastian Negri to complete the department. Captain Niccolò Cannone is confirmed in the second row together with Zambonin, as well as the front line formed by Ferrari, Di Bartolomeo and Fischetti.

Ready to take over from the bench are Dimcheff, Spagnolo, Hasa, Canali, Izekor, Odiase, Varney and Bertaccini.

Italy:

15 Mirko BELLONI (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)

14 Louis LYNAGH (Benetton Rugby, 6 caps)

13 Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 30 caps)

12 Marco ZANON (Benetton Rugby, 18 caps)

11 Jacopo TRULLA (Zebre Parma, 16 caps)

10 Giacomo DA RE (Zebre Parma, 4 caps)

9 Alessandro GARBISI (Benetton Rugby, 17 caps)

8 Ross VINTCENT (Exeter Chiefs, 16 caps)

7 Manuel ZULIANI (Benetton Rugby, 34 caps)

6 Sebastian BLACKS (Benetton Rugby, 64 caps)

5 Andrea ZAMBONIN (Exeter Chiefs, 11 caps)

4 Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 54 caps) – captain

3 Simone FERRARI (Benetton Rugby, 65 caps)

2 Tommaso DI BARTOLOMEO (Zebre Parma, 2 caps)

1 Danilo FISCHETTI (Northampton Saints, 54 caps)

Replacements:

16 Pablo DIMCHEFF (Colomiers Rugby, 1 cap)

17 Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 15 caps)

18 Muhamed HASA (Zebre Parma, 2 caps)

19 Matteo CANALI (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)

20 Alessandro IZEKOR (Benetton Rugby, 5 caps)

21 David ODIASE (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)

22 Stephen VARNEY (Exeter Chiefs, 33 caps)

23 Giulio BERTACCINI (Zebre Parma, 3 caps)