Team news – Italy v Scotland:Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni has recovered from broken ribs to take his place in the side to host Scotland on Saturday when both teams will be bidding to avoid the Six Nations wooden spoon.
The long-haired symbol of Italian rugby had been expected to miss the rest of the championship after being injured in the defeat by England last month but has battled back to fitness.
He is one of six changes from the side beaten by Wales last weekend but outhalf Kristopher Burton keeps his place despite another poor display at the Millennium Stadium.
Edoardo Gori returns at scrumhalf for the match at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico after recovering from a knee problem in the other major change.
Centre Nick De Luca has been restored to the Scottish starting line-up in only change from their 32-14 to Ireland in Dublin last Saturday.
De Luca was a late withdrawal from the game after exacerbating a hamstring problem in the warm-up and comes in for wing Lee Jones, who suffered severe concussion in the defeat in Dublin.
Max Evans, who took De Luca’s place in the team at the Aviva Stadium, has taken Jones’s slot on the right wing.
The only other change in personnel in the matchday 22 sees Bath back Jack Cuthbert named among the replacements.
Robinson said: “Nick was unfortunate to miss the game in Ireland through a hamstring problem and the challenge for him on Saturday will be to contribute as purposefully against the Italians as he did in his last game, against France.”
Cuthbert, who won his solitary cap in the World Cup warm-up Test against Ireland last August, takes the place of Edinburgh’s Matt Scott, who was thrust on to the bench following the injury to De Luca and made his debut after Jones was taken off.
Robinson said: “Jack has featured regularly for Bath this season. He’s strong and we know from his involvement with the squad back in the summer how much it means to him to play for Scotland.”
The pack is unchanged, with Geoff Cross retained at tighthead prop ahead of Euan Murray in an all-Edinburgh frontrow alongside captain and hooker Ross Ford and loosehead Allan Jacobsen. Murray is named on the bench alongside replacement hooker Scott Lawson.
ITALY (v Scotland):A Masi; G Venditti, T Benvenuti, G Canale, M Bergamasco; K Burton, E Gori; A Lo Cicero, L Ghiraldini, M Castrogiovanni, Q Geldenhuys, M Bortolami, A Zanni, R Barbieri, S Parisse.
Replacements:T D'Apice, L Cittadini, J Furno, S Favaro, M Vosawai, T Botes, G Toniolatti.
SCOTLAND:S Hogg (Glasgow); M Evans (Castres), N De Luca (Edinburgh), G Morrison (Glasgow), S Lamont (Scarlets); G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (capt, Edinburgh), G Cross (Edinburgh), R Gray (Glasgow), J Hamilton (Gloucester), J Barclay (Glasgow), R Rennie (Edinburgh), D Denton (Edinburgh).
Replacements:S Lawson (Gloucester), E Murray (Newcastle), A Kellock (Glasgow), R Vernon (Sale Sharks), C Cusiter (Glasgow), R Jackson (Glasgow), J Cuthbert (Bath).
