The star-studded line-up Italy could field with NRL and Super League icons

The Rugby League World Cup has sadly been reduced to just ten nations this year – which means some countries that have provided plenty of colour in recent tournaments won’t be featuring.

And few fit that billing quite like Italy. Their iconic upset against England ahead of the 2013 tournament was one of the big stories of recent times in the international game, and while they’ve not really made huge strides competitively, they have fielded some very strong sides.

And if they ever did return, they could put out a 13 littered with world-class talent – as this list proves..

1. James Tedesco

We’re starting with arguably the biggest star of the lot – Sydney Roosters and New South Wales fullback James Tedesco.

Tedesco played in two World Cup campaigns – 2013 and 2017 – for Italy at the start of his career before switching to the Kangaroos. With Reece Walsh around these days, Tedesco would likely be a call-up for the Italians once again if they took to the field!

2. Mark Nawaqanitawase

He’s shortly set to leave rugby league and return to rugby union in Japan at the end of the current NRL season. But if he ever came back to league again, the Roosters winger would be eligible for the Italians through his family heritage. However, we accept he’s more likely to play for the Kangaroos for a good while yet.

3. Bronson Xerri

Another huge NRL star eligible to play for Italy is Bulldogs centre Bronson Xerri. He also has Maltese heritage so has his pick of the nations, including his native Australia, of course. But for the purposes of this exercise, he starts in our impressive backline.

4. Luke Polselli

There’s not too many Super League players in this Italian team, with many of them coming from the NRL scene. But one player from this side of the world is Toulouse centre Luke Polselli, who played in all three of the Italians’ World Cup games in the 2021 tournament.

5. Hugo Peel

The Melbourne Storm winger is one of the more inexperienced members of a star-studded backline, having only noticed up two NRL appearances to his name thus far. But he’s Italian eligible too.

6. Daniel Atkinson

Dragons half-back Daniel Atkinson has been a regular in the NRL this year, and he’s also eligible to play for the Azzurri if he so wished.

7. Jack Campagnolo

Half-back Jack Campagnolo will be familiar to Super League fans courtesy of his solitary season in the competition with London Broncos in 2024. Now playing back in Australia in the Queensland Cup, Campagnolo can also play for Italy – having already represented them on six occasions.

8. Brenden Santi

The former York Knights man has switched to Newcastle Thunder for this season – and he’s a veteran of the Italian side having made 15 appearances across multiple World Cup campaigns.

9. Jermayne Cook

There are a couple of hookers in the Australian reserve grades with similar experience, so we’ve gone with Manly’s Jermayne Cook. Jared Haywood from Wests Tigers can also feature for the Italians, incidentally.

10. Paul Vaughan

He’s now a veteran in Super League but York Knights star Paul Vaughan is another who qualifies for Italy – as well as other nations including Germany! Prior to making his debut with Australia in 2019, Vaughan had six Test caps for the Azzurri at the start of his career.

11. Luca Moretti

The Parramatta Eels star is capable of playing in a plethora of positions across the pack – and in the interests of balancing our team out, we’ve gone with him in the back row. Moretti has international experience with Italy, featuring in all three of their games in the 2021 World Cup – and given his rise since then, he’d be a star if they ever came back together.

12. Ethan Natoli

The former London Broncos back rower made well over 70 appearances for the club across three seasons in the capital. Now playing in France with Pia, Natoli has seven Test appearances for the Azzurri across his career.

13. Nathan Brown

Another bonafide star with almost 200 first class appearances to his name, Sea Eagles lock Nathan Brown has had a long and storied career in the NRL, even featuring in State of Origin. But he’s also no stranger to the Azzurri, having played for them six times.

Bring them back, we say!