LOUIS LYNAGH, the son of Australia rugby great Michael Lynagh, was given his first Italy call-up on Wednesday after being selected in the squad for the Azzurri’s Six Nations clash with France.

Gonzalo Quesada’s Italy face Les Bleus in Paris on 25 February with two defeats from their opening two matches.

Winger Lynagh, 23, was born in Treviso where his father played and his mother is Italian, but he moved to England when he was four years old.

On Monday Lynagh decided to return to the place of his birth by switching from Harlequins to United Rugby Championship team Benetton Treviso.

He has signed a two-year deal with Treviso, with the option to extend the agreement until 2027, and will arrive ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Quesada will be without Sebastian Negri, Lorenzo Cannone, Edoardo Iachizzi and Pietro Ceccarelli in the pack.

Meanwhile, Tommaso Allan is being rested — the Perpignan fly-half asked for a break from international rugby “after having taken part in every international window in 2023″.

Italy squad for the Six Nations match with France in Paris:

Forwards (18): Matteo Canali (Parma), Niccolo Cannone (Treviso), Riccardo Favretto (Treviso), Simone Ferrari (Treviso), Danilo Fischetti (Parma), Alessandro Izekor (Treviso), Michele Lamaro (Treviso), Gianmarco Lucchesi (Treviso), Marco Manfredi (Parma), Giacomo Nicotera (Treviso) Matteo Nocera (Parma), Luca Rizzoli (Parma), Federico Ruzza (Treviso), Mirco Spagnolo (Treviso), Ross Vintcent (Exeter/ENG), Andrea Zambonin (Parma), Giosue Zilocchi (Treviso), Manuel Zuliani (Treviso)

Backs (15): Juan Ignacio Brex (Treviso), Ange Capuozzo (Toulouse/FRA), Alessandro Garbisi (Treviso), Paolo Garbisi (Montpellier/FRA), Simone Gesi (Parma), Monty Ioane (Lyon/FRA), Louis Lynagh (Treviso), Leonardo Marin (Treviso), Tommaso Menoncello (Treviso), Francois Mey (Clermont/FRA), Federico Mori (Bayonne/FRA), Martin Page-Relo (Lyon/FRA), Lorenzo Pani (Parma), Stephen Varney (Gloucester/ENG), Marco Zanon (Treviso)

– © AFP 2024