Marco Riccioni

A product of the Italian club system, Marco Riccioni has established himself as a frontline tighthead prop for the Azzurri. Born on 19 October 1997, he made his Test debut in 2019 and has since become a fixture of Italy's Six Nations and autumn internationals squads. Riccioni's game is built on the fundamentals expected of a modern tighthead: a stable, technically sound scrum anchor combined with an increasing willingness to contribute in the loose. His move to Saracens in the English Premiership broadened his exposure to high-intensity club rugby and accelerated his development, while his performances for Italy have helped underpin a front row that has shown real improvement in recent championship campaigns. Beyond the set piece, he is valued for his work rate around the breakdown and his reliability in defensive alignment, qualities that allow Italian coaches to build plans around a dependable starting unit. Still in the prime years for a prop, Riccioni remains central to Italy's long-term planning as the Azzurri look to build on recent signs of progress at international level.