A Teifi rugby player could be heading to the World Cup in France later this year after being selected for Italy's training camp.

Stephen Varney, 22, has been named among the 46-man squad by Italian national team coach Kieran Crowley.

The Welsh-speaking scrum half, who has 19 caps for the national team, will join up with his international teammates on June 5 in Pergine Vaslugana, Trentino.

Hailing from Rhoshill, near Cardigan, Varney won the Welsh Schools Under-16s Cup for Ysgol y Preseli in 2017, and came through the junior ranks Crymych RFC, before becoming a professional player.

The Gloucester number nine, who is the son of former Neath and Aberavon flanker Adrian Varney, represented Italy Under 20s and made his senior Test debut as a replacement against Scotland in Florence in autumn 2020.

His mother was born in west Wales, but both of her parents were born in Italy, hence his eligibility to play for the Azzurri – and Varney has seized the chance on the international stage.

Following the training camps, the squad will be whittled down to 33 who will fly to France for the Rugby World Cup which starts on September 8.

Kieran Crowley said: “We will live a very long, formative and interesting period in Pergine Valsugana in preparation for one of the most important moments in the life of a sportsman like the World Cup. 

“We will have an enlarged squad available with players who will follow a precise and targeted job based on their role and individual needs. 

"In the first two rallies the group will not be complete in order to give the right recovery to all the athletes and allow them to be in the best possible conditions for the pre-World Cup Test Matches. In the first meeting in July the group will be complete. 

"It will be very important to have the input of all team members – players and staff – to continue building and consolidating the foundations of this group.”

Italy will face Scotland and Ireland away and Japan at home ahead of their World Cup fixtures. They will face New Zealand, France, Uruguay and Namibia in the pool stage of the showpiece tournament.