Alongside regular Azzurri players Alessandro Troncon, Mirko Bergamasco and Sergio Parisse, Kirwan has drafted in the likes of Nicola Pavin, Ludovico Nitoglia and Danilo Carpente from the Under-21 side.

Team manager Marco Bollesan said: This get-together is with the future in mind.

We have called up players who will be the backbone for the next Six Nations, but we have also included about seven players from the Under-21 team who we will look at with regards to the next World Cup.

We must not forget about the future, it is important for us to think about 2007 as we will definitely lose a few players through age, injury or something else by then.

I think these are the best players at present.

Italy squad for training camp, which will take place from August 8-14:

Gonzalo Canale, Salvatore Costanzo, Fabio Ongaro, Silvio Orlando, Sergio Parisse, Enrico Pavanello, Nicola Pavin, Simon Picone, Walter Pozzebon, Alessandro Troncon (all Benetton Treviso), Martin Castrogiovanni, Paul Griffen, Giorgio Intoppa, Roberto Mandelli, Salvatore Perugini (all Ghial Calvisano), Andrea Masi, Lance Persico, Paul Kaime Robertson, Mario Savi (all Arix Viadana), Valerio Bernabo, Andrea Lo Cicero, Ludovico Nitoglia (all Lazio & Primavera), David Dal Maso, Antonio Pavanello, Tommaso Reato (all Rovigo), Matteo Barbini, Andrea Marcato (both Safilo Petrarca Padova), Mauro Bergamasco, Mirko Bergamasco (both Stade Francais), Giuseppe Cerqua, Matteo Pratchetti (both Unione R. Capitolina), Roland De Marigny, Carlo Antonio Del Fava (both Overmach Parma), Santiago Dellape, Aaron Persico (both Agen), Andrea De Rossi, Francesco Mazzariol (both SKG Gran Rugby), Marco Bortolami (Grenoble), Danilo Carpente (Conad L'Aquila), Cristian Stoica (Montpellier), Rima Wakarua (ADMO Leonessa), Alessandro Zanni (Udine).