Italy:Italy coach Jacques Brunel has made two changes to the side that lost the Six Nations opener against France for the game against England in Rome on Saturday. Aironi lock Marco Bortolami will earn his 90th cap with as he replaces Benetton Treviso's Cornelius Van Zyl at number five.
Bortolami will partner club team-mate Quintin Geldenhuys, while Clermont-Auvergne centre Gonzalo Canale will start in place of Alberto Sgarbi, who has been omitted from the squad. Brunel has also made three alterations to his bench.
Benetton Treviso captain Antonio Pavanello could make his Six Nations debut this weekend while 20-year-old centre Luca Morisi has a chance to earn his first bow with Italy.
Also, veteran flanker Mauro Bergamasco has also been included in the 22-man squad after recovering from a shoulder injury that ruled him out of last year’s tournament and of last weekend’s 30-12 loss to France at the Stade de France.
Saturday’s game will mark Italy’s first-ever Six Nations game at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, with the venue expected to be sold out.
Italy:A Masi (Aironi Rugby), G Venditti (Aironi Rugby), T Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso), G Canale (Clermont-Auvergne), L McLean (Benetton Treviso), K Burton (Benetton Treviso), E Gori (Benetton Treviso); A Lo Cicero (Racing-Metro Paris), L Ghiraldini (Benetton Treviso), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers), Q Geldenhuys (Aironi Rugby), M Bortolami (Aironi Rugby), A Zanni (Benetton Treviso), R Barbieri (Benetton Treviso), S Parisse (Stade Francais). Replacements:T D'Apice (Aironi Rugby), L Cittadini (Benetton Treviso), A Pavanello (Benetton Treviso), Mauro Bergamasco (Aironi Rugby), F Semenzato (Benetton Treviso), T Botes (Benetton Treviso), L Morisi (BancaMonte Parma Crociati).
