Marco Riccioni

Italy international tighthead prop Marco Riccioni, born on 19 October 1997, has emerged from the domestic Italian club system to become a frontline option in the Azzurri front row. He made his Test debut in 2019 and has since become a regular fixture in Italy's Six Nations and autumn international squads, accumulating valuable experience at the top end of European rugby. 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 across the European and southern-hemisphere windows.