England in their opening Royal Bank Of Scotland Six Nations match
21 year old Andrea De Rossi will captain Italy against world champions England in their opening Royal Bank Of Scotland Six Nations match on February 15th. Azzurri coach John Kirwan has handed the 21-year-old Calvisano flanker the skipper's armband as regular captain is still recovering from a knee injury.
De Rossi said it was a great honour to lead his country, but fully understood that it was only on a temporary basis. "Troncon is the captain and when he's fit he'll be back in charge, but I'm overjoyed to be given the responsibility," he said.
"It's a great honour for me and I feel ready for the challenge. It's a very proud moment for me"
Former New Zealand All Black Kirwan, who scored 34 tries in 63 Test matches, said he had no doubts that De Rossi was up to the task. "Unfortunately Troncon is injured and I hope to have him back as quickly as possible, but I have total confidence in Andrea and believe he can take this team forward," Kirwan said.
Born in Genoa, De Rossi began his career with Rugby Livorno and went on to represent Italy at junior and under-21 level. He made his international debut against Uruguay in 1999 and has been a regular in the team ever since.
De Rossi has captained Italy before in 2002 against a New Zealand Divisional XV while the Azzurri were on tour.