Italy's South African coach Nick Mallett on Friday named his 30-man squad for the World Cup which included the uncapped duo of hooker Tommaso D'Apice and lock forward Cornelius Van Zyl.

Missing from the squad, who play the Wallabies in their World Cup opener, is Australian-born fly-half Craig Gower who had already been ruled out because of a knee injury.

Fellow Australian-born fly-half Kristopher Burton was one of six players, originally included in the 36-man training squad, who did not make the final cut.

D'Apice, 23, plays at Aironi while 32-year-old South Africa-born Van Zyl also features in the Celtic League with Treviso.

Fourteen of the 30 will be featuring in their first World Cup while skipper Sergio Parisse will be playing in his third, having also appeared in the 2003 and 2007 editions.

Prop Andrea Lo Cicero and back-row forward Mauro Bergamasco, who both played in the 1999 tournament, are the veterans heading for the event in New Zealand which runs from September 9 until October 23.

Italy will be in Group C along with Australia, Ireland, Russia and the United States.

Italy squad

Forwards: Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester/ENG), Andrea Lo Cicero (Racing-Metro/FRA), Lorenzo Cittadini (Treviso), Salvatore Perugini (Aironi), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Treviso), Fabio Ongaro (Aironi), Tommaso D'Apice (Aironi), Marco Bortolami (Aironi), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Aironi), Qintin Geldenhuys (Aironi), Cornelius Van Zyl (Treviso), Robert Julian Barbieri (Treviso), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais/FRA), Paul Derbyshire (Treviso), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais/FRA, capt.), Alessandro Zanni (Treviso)

Backs: Pablo Canavosio (Aironi), Edoardo Gori (Treviso), Fabio Semenzato (Treviso), Luciano Orquera (Aironi), Riccardo Bocchino (Prato), Tommaso Benvenuti (Treviso), Mirco Bergamasco (Racing-Metro/FRA), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont/FRA), Gonzalo Garcia (Treviso), Andrea Masi (Aironi), Luke McLean (Treviso), Matteo Pratichetti (Aironi), Alberto Sgarbi (Treviso), Guilio Toniolatti (Aironi)

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