Rugby World Cup 2023 Pool A squads: Italy complete the line-up
Michele Lamaro will captain Italy in his first Rugby World Cup, while veteran fly-half Tommaso Allan is on the verge of appearing at his third tournament.
Uruguay's squad for RWC 2023, meanwhile, is packed with tournament experience with no less than eight players set to appear on the game's greatest stage for a third time.
Leading them in France will be Andrés Vilaseca, eight years after his older brother, Santiago, captained los Teros at England 2015.
As for France, they will be captained by World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year for 2021, Antoine Dupont but have lost fly-half Romain Ntamack and second-row Paul Willemse to injury.
Dupont is one of nine players in Les Bleus' squad to have played on the game's greatest stage before with centre Gaël Fickou set for his third tournament. Bastien Chalureau has been called up to replace his Montpellier club-mate Willemse.
Namibia have now named all 33 players who will bid to win their first match at a Rugby World Cup. Veteran forward PJ van Lill has been selected and will become only the second Namibian after Eugene Jantjies to appear in four Rugby World Cups.
Earlier in the month, New Zealand selectors Ian Foster, Jason Ryan and Joe Schmidt named the most experienced All Blacks squad to ever travel to a Rugby World Cup.
The three-time Webb Ellis Cup winners were the first team in Pool A to confirm their selection, with the 33 players sharing 1,493 caps at the time of the announcement, at an average of 45 per man.
ITALY
Fly-half Tommaso Allan is the most experienced player in the Italy squad heading to France for Rugby World Cup 2023.
Allan, who can also play full-back, will feature in his third Rugby World Cup after representing the Azzurri in England in 2015 and in Japan in 2019.
Luca Morisi is the only other back with past tournament experience, while seven of the forwards played at RWC 2019. They are Simone Ferrari, Danilo Fischetti, Federico Zani. Marco Riccioni, Federico Ruzza, David Sisi and Sebastian Negri.
The squad includes two sets of brothers in the Garbisis, Paolo and Alessandro, and the Cannones, Niccolò and Lorenzo.
Forwards: Pietro Ceccarelli, Simone Ferrari, Danilo Fischetti, Ivan Nemer, Marco Riccioni, Federico Zani, Luca Bigi, Epalahame Faiva, Giacomo Nicotera, Niccolò Cannone, Dino Lamb, Federico Ruzza, David Sisi, Lorenzo Cannone, Toa Halafihi, Michele Lamaro (captain), Sebastian Negri, Giovanni Pettinelli, Manuel Zuliani
Backs: Alessandro Fusco, Alessandro Garbisi, Martin Page-Relo, Stephen Varney, Tommaso Allan, Giacomo Da Re, Paolo Garbisi, Juan Ignacio Brex, Luca Morisi, Pierre Bruno, Ange Capuozzo, Monty Ioane, Paolo Odogwu, Lorenzo Pani
URUGUAY
Captain Andrés Vilaseca is one of an eight-strong group of players set to appear in their third Rugby World Cup after being named in Esteban Meneses' squad, while 11 others have one tournament under their belts already.
Forwards Germán Kessler and Mateo Sanguinetti and backs Felipe Berchesi, Nicolás Freitas, Gastón Mieres, Agustín Ormaechea and Rodrigo Silva all represented Los Teros at RWC 2015 and 2019.
Star scrum-half Santiago Arata, from the Castres club, was chosen despite being in France, recovering from a hand injury operation sustained in Montevideo during Rugby World Cup preparation. He will join the squad when they fly to his country of residence.
Forwards: Mateo Sanguinetti, Matías Benitez, Facundo Gattas, Germán Kessler, Guillermo Pujadas, Ignacio Péculo, Diego Arbelo, Reinaldo Piussi, Ignacio Dotti, Manuel Leindekar, Felipe Aliaga, Manuel Ardao, Santiago Civetta, Manuel Diana, Lucas Bianchi, Carlos Deus, Juan Manuel Rodriguez, Eric Dos Santos.
Backs: Santiago Arata, Santiago Alvarez, Agustín Ormaechea, Felipe Etcheverry, Felipe Berchesi, Andrés Vilaseca (captain), Nicolás Freitas, Felipe Arcos Perez, Tomás Inciarte, Gastón Mieres, Baltazar Amaya, Juan Manuel Alonso, Rodrigo Silva, Bautista Basso, Ignacio Facciolo.
FRANCE
Flanker Anthony Jelonch and prop Cyril Baille have both been named in host nation France’s Rugby World Cup squad by head coach Fabien Galthié despite injury problems.
Jelonch, 27, made the last of his 25 test appearances in February when he ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament in the Six Nations victory over Scotland.
Baille, his club team-mate at Toulouse, is also included but is suffering from a calf issue. Again, Galthié also expects him to return by the middle of next month.
In addition to Fickou, prop Uini Atonio played at RWC 2015 but did not appear in 2019 so like Antoine Dupont, Charles Ollivon, Thomas Ramos, Gregory Alldritt, Damian Penaud and Peato Mauvaka, he will be making his second tournament appearance.
Forwards: Cyril Baille, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Reda Wardi, Uini Atonio, Dorian Aldegheri, Sipili Falatea, Julien Marchand, Peato Mauvaka, Pierre Bourgarit, Bastien Chalureau, Thibaud Flament, Romain Taofifenua, Cameron Woki, Gregory Alldritt, Paul Boudehent, Francois Cros, Sekou Macalou, Charles Ollivon, Anthony Jelonch.
Backs: Antoine Dupont (captain), Maxime Lucu, Baptiste Couilloud, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy, Damian Penaud, Gabin Villiere, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Arthur Vincent, Yoram Moefana, Thomas Ramos, Melvyn Jaminet.
NAMIBIA
Former Wallaby flanker Richard Hardwick has been named in the Namibia squad for the Rugby World Cup.
Melbourne Rebels forward Hardwick was born in Windhoek but raised in Australia and won two Wallaby caps in 2017.
He has since made three test appearances for the Welwitschias who will be led in France by experienced centre, Johan Deysel.
Deysel and six other players will be appearing in their third tournaments but back-row PJ van Lill tops the lot having been selected for a fourth Rugby World Cup
The 39-year-old will be only the second Namibian to achieve the feat after Eugene Jantjies having previously featured in the 2011, 2015 and 2019 tournaments.
In total, 16 of the 31 players selected by head coach Allister Coetzee have been to a Rugby World Cup before.
Former Namibia U20 scrum-half Oela Blaauw is the only uncapped member of the squad.
Forwards: Jason Benade, Aranos Coetzee, Desiderius Sethie, Haitembu Shifuka, Louis van der Westhuizen, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Casper Viviers, Tiaan de Klerk, Obert Nortje, Richard Hardwick, Adriaan Ludick, Johan Retief, Mahepisa Tjeriko, Tjiuee Uanivi, Max Katjijeko, Prince Gaoseb, PJ van Lill, Wian Conradie, Adriaan Booysen
Backs: Damian Stevens, Oela Blaauw, Jacques Theron, Cliven Loubser, Tiaan Swanepoel, Andre van der Berg, Johan Deysel, JC Greyling, Danco Burger, Le Roux Malan, Alcino Isaacs, Gerswin Mouton, Chad Plato, Divan Rossouw
NEW ZEALAND
Samuel Whitelock, the most-capped player in the All Blacks squad (146), has been selected for his fourth Rugby World Cup.
At the other end of the experience spectrum is scrum-half Cam Roigard, who has won two caps and is one of 17 players in the squad preparing for their first taste of the showpiece tournament.
The New Zealand selectors have named 18 forwards and 15 backs on the plane to France, with captain Sam Cane one of six players set to feature in their third Rugby World Cup. A further nine players have appeared at one previously.
Four test centurions – Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett – will make the trip to France for RWC 2023.
All Blacks coach Foster said: “We congratulate those 33 players selected. This group has grown in belief and is highly motivated to represent our country with pride in France, as we seek to be the first nation to win the Rugby World Cup four times.”
Forwards: Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax, Nepo Laulala, Fletcher Newell, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Tamaiti Williams, Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Codie Taylor, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Tupou Vaa’I, Samuel Whitelock, Sam Cane (captain), Shannon Frizell, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papli’I, Ardie Savea.
Backs: Finlay Christie, Cam Roigard, Aaron Smith, Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Richie Mo’unga, Jordie Barrett, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Caleb Clarke, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Will Jordan, Emoni Narawa, Mark Telea.