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Fragile up front, thin at scrum-half, talented out wide. And above all, at the right age. That’s how Zebre Parma’s 2026-27 squad reads, unit by unit, after an opener against the Bulls that already showed how hard this season will be.
Front row: one injury away from trouble
The front row is the most fragile unit. Injuries have piled on top of departures, and Parma have had to dip into Serie A Elite. Juan Pitinari and Luca Franceschetto were already sidelined in pre-season. Against the Bulls the scrum didn’t respond badly, but one more injury and the problems start again. Among the hookers, all Italian (Minervino, Ribaldi, Di Bartolomeo and Quattrini), Tommaso Di Bartolomeo is certainly an excellent player; behind him there’s work to do.
Locks and back row, almost all Italian
At lock there are Krumov, Canali, Mattioli, Carrera and Turrisi; in the back row Ortombina, Stavile, Odiase, Ruggeri, Ruffolo, Ferrari, Licata, Botturi and Locatelli. Again an almost all-Italian pack, if we count Bautista Stavile as Italy-eligible: he has been talked about for the national team, but competition in that position is fierce and he’s approaching 30. We’ll see if he ends up in Gonzalo Quesada’s notebook.
The most interesting bet is David Odiase. At Under-20 level he was in a different class and he has already been capped by Italy, but he still has to prove he can really make a difference in the URC. Around him are players like Ferrari, Licata and Locatelli, all in their prime.
Why is scrum-half the most exposed position?
Because almost everything rests on Alessandro Fusco, who is also captain this season. Last year the rotation with Gonzalo García gave peace of mind; now the alternatives are Patricio Baronio, Lorenzo Citton and Thomas Dominguez. García has gone and, for me, he hasn’t been properly replaced.
This could be Dominguez’s breakthrough year, of course. But right now that position looks thin to me.
Fly-half: Da Re, Montemauri and Allan in a World Cup season
At fly-half, on the other hand, there’s class and experience: Giacomo Da Re, Giovanni Montemauri and Tommaso Allan. This is where Zebre’s season meets Italy’s. The hunt for Paolo Garbisi’s understudy is the topic we’ve been discussing forever, and all three can aim for the 2027 World Cup.
It’s not a given for any of them, not even Da Re: a few more call-ups for other profiles and that spot narrows. Allan, in my view, is basically playing for this, to be selected, as well as to help the team. Da Re and Montemauri will have a leading role: they need to establish themselves game after game, and if the World Cup doesn’t come, their time could be the next cycle.
A World Cup that, in my opinion, isn’t a given for any of these three.
Back three: quality, but fragile
Out wide, on paper, the quality is there: Trulla, Pani, Gesi and Belloni. The problem is durability, with injuries already starting to bite: in the pre-season friendly against Leinster in Dublin, Trulla went off after just ten minutes. And Simone Gesi looks a little way off the player of three years ago, when he seemed ready to grab an Italy shirt. He can come back, but competition is fierce, starting with his own team-mates.
Reasons for hope: Brunello and the right age
My faith in this year’s Zebre comes down to two things. The first is Massimo Brunello: for me an excellent coach, someone who knows how to work with young players, even if he finds himself with a weakened squad. The second is age: almost the whole group is between 22 and 29, right in their athletic prime, with the most obvious exception being an experienced player like Allan.
Italian rugby needs depth, and today that depth is Zebre, alongside the players abroad and those at Benetton. It’s like track cycling, when you have to wait for the last rider: without him you don’t finish. Zebre are the last link in Italian professional rugby, and without them the whole system risks not reaching the line. The next test is Friday night in Cardiff.
Read also
- Zebre: more Italian than ever, but weaker — the transfer story
- What Zebre are missing: a lineout to rebuild and a scrum that holds
- Four scrum-halves for 2027
Forza Zebre. Who are you backing this season? Tell me in the comments on YouTube and subscribe to the DanPat Rugby channel.
Danilo — DanPat Rugby