George Costethe well-known transalpine coach, coach of Italrugby from 1993 to 1999, during a training camp for the Azzurri at the CONI Center in Tirrenia, he said to the reporter present: “More than any other, the Livornese has the character, which is very similar to that of the southern French, to practice the oval sport, made of courage, determination and strength, but also of generosity, creativity and a spirit of friendship”. He was right: you can make a thousand conjectures and look for a thousand explanations, but the fact is that the city of Livorno continues to produce top-notch rugby players without interruption. In the main Italian team, from 1965 to the present day, 14 champions from Livorno have found space (even Marzio Innocenti, Fabrizio Gaetaniello and Andrea De Rossi led the Azzurri, a total of 36 times, as captains). We have now lost count of the players from Labro called up to the national youth teams. AND It is certainly no surprise that three very capable players from Unicusano Livorno Rugby, born in 2007, will be called up to represent Italy under 18, in view of the meeting scheduled in L’Aquila from 1st to 4th July. They are (in photo order, from left to right) prop Leonardo Tosi, scrum half Edoardo D’Ammando and hooker Jacopo De Rossi. Three players with different characteristics, united by talent and those peculiarities listed by Coste in his statement released to the CONI Center. Rugby trio born and raised in the green and white youth team, highlighted (already in their first year in the category) in the season just ended, in the under 18 team of Unicusano Livorno Rugby, brilliant protagonist in the very tough youth elite championship.
Here is the complete press release relating to the call-up of the 30 Italian players in view of the training camp in Abruzzo.
The Technical Manager of the Italian U18 Men’s National Team, Paolo Grassi, has communicated the list of athletes who will take part in the meeting scheduled in L’Aquila from 1 to 4 July.
For the youth selection, fresh from a year full of commitments including the Six Nations Festival in Parma, this is the first meeting with the players who will then make up the backbone of next year.
The list is made up of 30 athletes, all born in 2007. Boys who will train at the Piazza D’Armi sports facility in the Abruzzo capital.
Italy Under 18: those called up for the L’Aquila meeting
Augusto ALESSANDRI (Rugby Perugia Junior)
Alvise BASSO (Benetton Rugby Treviso)
Tommaso CUOMO (Rugby Lions Alto Lazio)
Manuel D’AMICO (Rugby Parma FC)
Edoardo D’AMMANDO (Livorno Rugby)
Luca DE NOVELLIS (Pesaro Rugby)
Jacopo DE ROSSI (Livorno Rugby)
Giovanni DEGLI ANTONI (Rugby Parma FC)
Patricio Ettore DINARTE (Valpolicella Rugby)
Jacopo Akenaton FINOCCHI (Capitoline Rugby Union)
Federico FORTI (Valsugana Rugby Padova)
Lorenzo FRANCOLINI (Pesaro Rugby)
Filippo ISOLA (Rugby Lyons)
Davide LIUT (Rugby Bergamo)
Giovanni MARZOTTO (Benetton Rugby Treviso)
Emiliano MASTROPASQUA (Amateurs&Union Rugby Milan)
Giovanni NOSTRO (Italian Rugby Federation)
Alex ODA (Mogliano Veneto Rugby)
Cristian PANETTA (Monferrato Rugby Union)
Filippo PARZANI (Rugby Petrarca)
Jacopo SALA (Rugby Parabiago)
Fabio SALVANTI (Florence Rugby Union)
Lorenzo SICILIANO (Capitoline Rugby Union)
Michael STOJKOVSKI (Rugby Club Pasian di Prato)
Leonardo TOSI (Livorno Rugby)
Filippo TRELLA (SS Lazio Rugby)
Marco VESCOVINI (Florence Rugby Union)
Edoardo VITALE (CUS Milano Rugby)
Jaheim Noel WILSON (Rugby Club Pasian di Prato)
Lorenzo ZANON (Verona Rugby)
