Aironi pair Alberto de Marchi and Giovanbattista Venditti, 21-year-old centre Luca Morisi and 18-year-old winger Angelo Esposito are in line to make their first appearances for the Azzurri against a French team desperate for revenge after last season’s shock loss in Rome.

Several older heads have missed out in Brunel’s first squad including Salvatore Perugini, Fabio Ongaro and Carlo del Fava but Mauro Bergamasco and Kris Burton both make the cut.

Prop de Marchi was part of the Azzurri training squad for the Rugby World Cup, while Morisi missed out on the Junior World Championship in Italy because of injury.

Venditti has been in impressive form for Aironi this season and Esposito has emerged from the North-East Academy, winning a first Italy A cap against Tonga last June.

Backs: Edoardo Gori (Treviso), Fabio Semenzato (Treviso), Kris Burton (Treviso), Luciano Orquera (Aironi), Tommaso Benvenuti (Treviso), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont Auvergne), Luca Morisi (Crociati), Alberto Sgarbi (Treviso), Angelo Esposito (Ruggers Tarvisium), Roberto Quartaroli (Aironi), Giulio Toniolatti (Aironi), Giovanbattista Venditti (Aironi), Andrea Masi (Aironi), Luke McLean (Treviso)

Forwards: Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester), Lorenzo Cittadini (Treviso), Alberto de Marchi (Aironi), Andrea Lo Cicero (Racing Metro), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Treviso), Tommaso d’Apice (Aironi), Marco Bortolami (Aironi), Quintin Geldenhuys (Aironi), Antonio Pavanello (Treviso), Cornelius Van Zyl (Treviso), Robert Barbieri (Treviso), Mauro Bergamasco (Aironi), Paul Derbyshire (Treviso), Simone Favaro (Aironi), Sergio Parisse (Stade Français), Alessandro Zanni (Treviso)