Italy coach Conor O’Shea has identified an upset win over South Africa as a possible path out of a tough Pool B at the Rugby World Cup after naming his squad for Japan.
The Italians have been drawn with world champions New Zealand, the Springboks, Namibia and Canada for the opening stage of the tournament, which kicks off next month.
With only two teams making it out of each pool and into the quarterfinals, the Italians must defy the odds to reach the knockout stage for the first time in nine World Cups.
O’Shea says: “At the World Cup we absolutely must win against Namibia and Canada and then focus on the other two big challenges we have.
"I believe that against South Africa, with this team, we can create an opportunity on our day.”
Italy beat South Africa 20-18 in Florence in O’Shea’s first year in charge.
Italy squad
Forwards:
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, Jake Polledri, Abraham Steyn.
Backs:
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.