Italy's New Zealand-born lock Dean Budd announced his retirement from international rugby on Tuesday after making 29 appearances for the Azzurri. Budd, 33, moved to Italy in 2012 to play for club side Treviso following a short stint in Japan. He made his Italy debut in 2017 during a Test against Scotland and captained the national team during a 48-7 win over Canada at last year's Rugby World Cup. "I want to thank all of Italian rugby for these eight years spent together. When I arrived from Japan in 2012, I would never have dreamed of being able to live this fantastic adventure that Italy gave me," he said in a statement. stt/mw/nr