European Championship C (Men) : 2025

Sat 18th October 2025   - KO  15:00 - Rugby Club Pasian di Prato, Udine , Italy
Official: Enzo Peyre (France)

Italy

20

FT

44

Half Time
14 - 16

Ukraine

Tries

Leonard Plati (4)
Jack Piccirilli (24)
Jackson Lenzo (74)

Danylo Vedler (12,67)
Jett Cleary (17)
Yuri Hromow (31)
Davyd Zazimko (48,59)
Owen Hromow (78)
Rhys Sciglitano (80)

Goals

Alessandro Corte (4/4)

Oleksandr Skorbach (5/5)
Jett Cleary (1/3)

Sinbins

Oleksandr Skorbach (42)

Match Preview: ITALY AND UKRAINE NAME SQUADS FOR EURO C TIE

The opening game in men’s Euro C kicks off on Saturday 18 October, when Italy face Ukraine at Pasian Di Prato, Udine, (kick off 3pm, local time), the venue for all the group games over a week, The nations have named their squads, with heritage players prominent in each.

Both are coming off successful warm up games, Italy include six debutants and arrive having defeated Lebanon 16-14 in Sydney, while Ukraine had a 56-12 win in Netherlands.

Italy head coach, Leo Epifania, commented: “We are ready to challenge Ukraine and Greece with great enthusiasm and determination. Our players have worked hard to prepare for these games, and we are confident that we can achieve good results.”

He has named Dominic Biondi, from Wynnum Manly, as captain. "We are honoured to represent Italy in this tournament and ready to give our best,” he noted. “We are a young and ambitious team and want to take advantage of this opportunity to grow and improve.”

Ukraine include New Zealand Warrior Jett Cleary, younger brother of Nathan who has just arrived in England for the Ashes series and, thanks to the hit out they got last week, there are no debutants in their 19-man selection.

“The squad has come together brilliantly over the past week,” said head coach Dan Beardshaw. “The connection between the players, especially those coming through our domestic competition, has been outstanding.

 

“You can see how much pride they take in representing their country. Italy will be a tough opponent, but the spirit, work ethic and unity within this group gives us real confidence heading into the match. I’m excited to see how we’ll perform as a unit this coming week.”

Italy Squad

Jack Piccirilli (Dapto Canaries), Damian Nati (Hills Bulls), Antonio Obasi (Hulk University RL), Ikenna Michele Ugwo  (Leeds Beckett University),  Davide Colla, Alessandro Corte, Andrea Gallinaro, Andrea Marchica, Mattia Saoncella, Ryan Soldà, Francesco Speggiorin, Francesco Vallone, Lorenzo Vizzolo (Lupi del Nord) George Stamatatos  (Ryde Eastwood ), Nicholas Lenaz (North Qld Cowboys ), Jackson Lenzo (Western Clydesdales). Leonard Plati (West Tigers), Dominic Biondi  (Wynnum Manly), Emanuele Passera (XIII Ducato).

Ukraine Squad

Rhys Sciglitano (Blacktown Workers), Owen Hromow (Canberra Raiders), Daniel Janissen (Cardiff Cobras), Yuri Hromow (Cronulla Sharks), Jonah Ngaronoa (Glebe Dirty Reds), Victor Tereskzo (Ipswich Jets), Liubomyr Beznoshchuk (Stanislaviv), Oleksandr Fomiuk, Volodymyr Karpenko, Oleksandr Skorbach, Mykhailo Troian, Davyd Zazimko (Legion XIII), Ostap Hryshchenko, Ostap Kozak, Valerii Popeliuk (Lviv Tigers), Jett Cleary (New Zealand Warriors), Dmytro Pokotylo, Danylo Vedler (Rivne Giants), Oleksandr Syvokoz (unattached)

16 October 2025
1 Piccirilli
Full Back
Hromow 1
2 Passera
Right Wing
Zazimko 23
3 Stamatatos
Right Centre
Trolan 3
4 Gallinaro
Left Centre
Beznoschuk 4
5 Lenzo
Left Wing
Vedler 5
6 Corte
Stand Off
Skorbach 6
7 Nati
Scrum Half
Cleary 7
8 Colla
Prop
Sciglitano 8
9 Vizzolo
Hooker
Hromow 9
10 Biondi
Prop
Karpenko 10
13 Plati
Second Row
Ngaronoa 11
12 Ugwo
Second Row
Fomiuk 12
11 Lenaz
Loose Forward
Tereskzo 30
14 Vallone
Int 1
Janissen 14
15 Saoncella
Int 2
Pokotylo 24
16 Solda
Int 3
Hryshchenko 15
17 Speggiorin
Int 4
Kozak 17
18 Obasi
Reserve 1
Popeliuk 18
Match Report: Ukraine open Euro C with 20-44 victory over Italy

Ukraine ran in eight tries – two each from wingers Davyd Zazimko and Danylo Vedler - to defeat Italy, 44-20, in the opening match of Euro C, at Pasian Di Prato, Udine.

“It was a very exciting game, I’d rather have watched that as a fan than a coach,” said Ukraine head coach Dan Beardshaw. “It was really impressive how our boys battled through it, especially our domestic players - Oleksandr Fomiuk was very good and he’s only 21-years old, that’s what we’re trying to build here. We got our rewards late in the game.”

Italy opened the scoring through second rower Leonard Plati but Vedler crossed for his first and Jett Cleary danced to the line to put Ukraine into the lead. Jack Piccirilli edged the hosts back in front, Alessandro Corte with his second goal and a penalty, but Ukraine were ahead at the break when their fullback Yuri Hromow crossed.

Despite Oleksandr Skorbach being sinbinned for dissent straight after the break, Zazimko crossed twice in nine minutes at the start of the second half to give Ukraine supremacy, and although Jackson Lenzo picked up Italy’s third try, a strong finish by the visitors saw Owen Hromow and Rhys Sciglitano – against his former nation – complete the scoring.

Italy head coach, Leo Epifania, noted: “Ukraine were outstanding, they played very tough. They made the most of our errors and lost possession and capitalised, they outplayed us with the opportunities we gave them, and they were tougher for longer which is something we have to learn.

18 October 2025