Italy select 12 from victorious XV over Scotland last year for rematch
Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada has selected 12 players from the side that were victorious over Scotland last year in the Guinness Six Nations for their rematch in round one of this year’s Championship in Edinburgh.
Tommaso Allan and Dino Lamb, both injured last year, will start at full-back and lock for Italy, while Lorenzo Cannone will start at No. 8 after being on the bench in Rome last year.
Only one player, winger Jacopo Trulla, from the starting XV that faced the All Blacks in November in the Azzurri’s last outing is not in the squad to face Gregor Townsend’s side, although hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi, tighthead prop Marco Riccioni, flanker Manuel Zuliani and No. 8 Ross Vintcent in the 11-29 loss in Turin are on the bench this Saturday.
Zuliani and Vintcent will provide back-row cover in a 6-2 bench split for the Italians, which also includes uncapped Zebre loosehead Luca Rizzoli.
Italy XV
15 Tommaso Allan (Perpignan, 81 caps)
14 Ange Capuozzo (Stade Toulousain, 23 caps)
13 Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton Rugby, 41 caps)
12 Tommaso Menoncello (Benetton Rugby, 23 caps)
11 Monty Ioane (Lyon, 35 caps)
10 Paolo Garbisi (Toulon, 42 caps)
9 Martin Page-Relo (Lyon, 13 caps)
1 Danilo Fischetti (Zebre Parma, 47 caps)
2 Giacomo Nicotera (Stade Francais, 28 caps)
3 Simone Ferrari (Benetton Rugby, 59 caps)
4 Dino Lamb (Harlequins, 9 caps)
5 Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby, 59 caps)
6 Sebastian Negri (Benetton Rugby, 58 caps)
7 Michele Lamaro (Benetton Rugby, 43 caps) – captain
8 Lorenzo Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 23 caps)
Replacements
16 Gianmarco Lucchesi (Toulon, 28 caps)
17 Luca Rizzoli (Zebre Parma, uncapped)
18 Marco Riccioni (Saracens, 30 caps)
19 Niccolò Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 47 caps)
20 Manuel Zuliani (Benetton Rugby, 27 caps)
21 Ross Vintcent (Exeter Chiefs, 9 caps)
22 Alessandro Garbisi (Benetton Rugby, 13 caps)
23 Simone Gesi (Zebre Parma, 1 cap)
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