Italy change it up for Murrayfield
Italy coach Nick Mallett has made 11 changes to the team that beat Japan 31-24 last week for Saturday’s World Cup warm-up match against Scotland at Murrayfield.
The South African has restored a largely first choice set of outside backs with only Tommaso Benvenuti keeping his place on the wing, although he switches from left to right.
In the pack only captain Sergio Parisse at No.8 and front row forwards Andrea Lo Cicero and Leonardo Ghiraldini keep their places from last week’s test against Japan in Cesena.
It means that Mallett will have given 26 of his 30-man squad a start in their two warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup in New Zealand next month.
Only front row forwards Salvatore Perugini, who is injured, and Fabio Ongaro will not feature while inexperienced hooker Tommaso D’Apice, who made a brief debut against Japan for the final two minutes, and third-choice scrumhalf Pablo Canavosio start from the bench for the second game in a row.
South African-born lock Cornelius Van Zyl makes his first start following his debut as a substitute against Japan.
Italy: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Gonzalo Canale, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Fabio Semenzato, 8 Sergio Parisse (captain), 7 Robert Barbieri, 6 Paul Derbyshire, 5 Cornelius Van Zyl, 4 Carlo Antonio Del Fava, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero.
Replacements: 16 Tommaso D’Apice, 17 Lorenzo Cittadini, 18 Marco Bortolami, 19 Alessandro Zanni, 20 Pablo Canavosio, 21 Riccardo Bocchino, 22 Matteo Pratichetti.
Date: Saturday, August 20
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Kick-off: 17.00 (16.00 GMT)
Referee: Dave Pearson (England)
Assistant referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Robin Goodliffe (England)
TMO: Hugh Watkins (Wales)
AFP
