THE Italian team to meet Ireland at Lansdowne Road tomorrow shows four changes in personnel and one positional alteration from the side that lost 29-22 to Scotland at Murrayfield three weeks ago. The team includes one new cap, centre Alessandro Stoica (Milan).
Most of the side will be familiar to the Irish players as no fewer than nine of the team that beat Ireland in Treviso in May 1995 are included, while another came on as replacement. In addition, several have played for Milan against Munster and Leinster in the European Cup.
There are two changes and a positional alteration in the back line from the side that went under to Scotland, and two changes in the pack. Paolo Vaccari, who scored a try in the 22-12 win over Ireland the last time the countries met in 1995, moves from centre to the right wing in place of Nicola Mazzucato, Stafano Bordon takes over from Vaccari in the centre and Stoica is preferred to Ivan Francescato.
In the pack, the experienced Franco Properzi Curti gains preference at tight head prop over Andrea Castellani, while Julian Gardner, who played for Australia before he moved to Italy a few years ago, comes into the back row for the team captain Massimo Giovanelli, who has a rib injury and did not travel.
The nine who played in the win over Ireland in 1995 are Vaccari, left wing Marcello Cuttitta, the half backs Diego Dominguez and Alessandro Troncon, the entire front row of loose head prop Massimo Cuttitta (who now leads the team), hooker Carlo Orlandi and Properzi Curti, blind side flanker Gardner and number eight Orazio Arancio. Bordon also came on as a replacement in that match. Massimo Cuttitta was captain of the side that beat Ireland and of the World Cup team before Giovanelli took over the leadership role.
Stoica came on as a replacement for Milan against Munster in October and those who also played in that match were the Cuttitta brothers, Dominguez, Properzi, Curti, Orlandi, second row Giabattista Croci and Arancio.
Massimo Cuttitta believes that Italy can win the match but said: "It will be very hard for us. Ireland, particularly at Lansdowne Road, will be especially formidable. The pack looks very strong to me and I have great respect in particular for the front row. That must be one of the best in the world. I have been very impressed by my immediate opponent Paul Wallace. I thought the Irish forwards played very well against Australia. We have been studying, a video of that match."
He sees the match as "a great opportunity for us to move nearer to inclusion in the Five Nations Championship. I think we are worthy of inclusion in it and it is important for us that we get as much international experience as possible. A good performance and certainly a win would help us towards that objective."
On the tactics Italy will employ, he said: "It will be in our best interests to play an attacking game. We have been unlucky to lose to both Wales and Scotland and we do not want to go home having also lost to Ireland."
He said that the cancellation of the two matches in Wales this week against Caerphilly and Llanelli was "disappointing and disrupted our preparation. But despite the hard grounds we did a lot of useful training."
The Italians will train at Sydney Parade again this morning, while the Ireland players, who returned last night from the Algarve, will have a brief run out at Lansdowne Road.
The Lansdowne Road surface was covered yesterday as a precaution against frost, but there is no anxiety about the ground not being playable.
. The final of the Smithwicks Old Belvedere Floodlit Cup at Anglesea Road tonight, brings together two clubs who have both won the trophy once previously - Greystones in 1990 and Blackrock the following year.
The decider brings first and second division AIL teams into opposition and Blackrock will go into the match as favourites, but divisional status is often upset in this fine competition.
Blackrock will be led by Mike Brewer, who has just returned from the Algarve, where he was coaching the Ireland forwards, but will be without their interprovincial second row Mick O'Neill, and Pat Holden will deputise.
Blackrock will also be without prop Paul Flavin, a substitute for Ireland against Italy tomorrow. Dean Oswald, who has been out of action for some time because of injury, will not start the match but may come on at some stage.
Greystones, who hope Michael Carney will be fit to play in the centre, will be without Paul Noble, Reg Corrigan and Tony Casey, but Casey, a recent influenza victim, may make an appearance during the game.
