Italy coach Nick Mallett has made no changes to the starting XV that lost their last RBS 6 Nations match to England for the game against Scotland in Rome on Saturday.

RICHIE REES could have been excused a double-take as he prepared to embark on the biggest week of his rugby life.

Italy coach Nick Mallett has named lock Carlo Antonio Del Fava in his 24-man squad for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Scotland in Rome.

LEICESTER tight-head prop Dan Cole has admitted the prospect of anchoring the England pack in a full international was not even on his radar at the start of this season.

Italy coach Nick Mallett has made no changes to the squad that beat Samoa in November for Saturday´s RBS 6 Nations opener against Ireland at Croke Park.

ITALY head coach Nick Mallett has named his 24-man squad ahead of the RBS 6 Nations opener against Ireland at Croke Park on Saturday.

Italy head coach Nick Mallett has named his 24-man squad ahead of the RBS 6 Nations opener against Ireland at Croke Park on Saturday.

Connacht finished as top seeds in the European Challenge Cup following a crushing, 10-try 66-0 win at Olympus Rugby in Pool 2.

SCOTSMAN Bryan Redpath knows he can mastermind Glasgow’s Heineken Cup demise tonight when his Gloucester team arrive north of the border.

Ospreys boss Scott Johnson has emphasised the need for discipline and patience when his star-studded Welsh challengers launch their Heineken Cup campaign at Leicester tomorrow.

ITALY coach Nick Mallett has called uncapped Franco Sbaraglini to replace injured Fabio Ongaro for tomorrow’s Six Nations game against Scotland.

Italy will be boosted by the return of lock Marco Bortolami and centre Andrea Marcato for their RBS Six Nations game in Scotland on February 28, but will be without Andrea Masi after the full-back received a three-week ban today.

Italy will be boosted by the return of lock Marco Bortolami and centre Andrea Marcato for their RBS Six Nations game against Scotland in Edinburgh on February 28.

ITALY coach Nick Mallett is looking for the Azzurri to play a perfect game against Ireland as they attempt to forget their opening 6 Nations defeat at England.

THERE was a time not so very long ago when post-Christmas games between the sides and played west of the Shannon Connacht and Munster were decided by a single penalty goal.

Connacht 30 Rovigo 3

Michael Bradley has made two changes to the Connacht side to face Rugby Rovigo in the European Challenge Cup at the Sportsground on Friday (6.30pm).

Connacht will have to make do without the considerable contribution of Johnny O'Connor for their European Challenge Cup round four pool one clash against Rugby Rovigo at the Sportsground on Friday (6.30pm).

Daniel Riordan and Andrew Browne come into a Connacht side to play Rugby Rovigo in the European Challenge Cup in Italy on Saturday.

Coach Michael Bradley knows Connacht must beat Rovigo away from home on Saturday to hold a chance to make it through to the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup.

GEORGE HOOK ruffled more than a few feathers after Munster’s narrow defeat to New Zealand last week when he claimed that Leinster would never have been able to produce a similar performance under the same straitened circumstances.

Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has made five changes to his starting XV for Saturday‘s Test against Ireland at Croke Park.

London Irish have made one change from last weekend bringing in hooker James Buckland for a crucial European Challenge Cup round two fixture with Connacht Rugby at The Sportsground on Friday evening at 7pm.

Juan Martin Hernandez has been included in the Argentina squad for next month’s tour of Europe after recovering from a hand injury.

SARACENS continued the English romp through the European Challenge Cup with a clinical 53-3 win over French side Mont de Marsan at Vicarage Road yesterday.

CONNACHT have been paired with last season’s Heineken Cup semi-finalists London Irish in Pool One of the European Challenge Cup.

The IRFU has announced the appointment of former South African international, Gert Smal as forwards coach to the Irish team.

Italy coach Nick Mallett has put his faith in experience for Saturday's RBS 6 Nations opener with Ireland at Croke Park.

Argentina head coach Marcelo Loffreda has named a 22-man squad to face Italy next weekend at the Malvinas Argentinas Stadium in Mendoza.

ARGENTINA coach Marcelo Loffreda has been forced to ring the changes for tomorrow’s second Test with Ireland.

Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda has been forced into a string of changes for Saturday’s second Test with Ireland.

Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda has made three changes to his squad for Saturday‘s second Test against Ireland.

Argentina head coach Marcelo Loffreda has confirmed the 22-man squad to face Ireland next Saturday in Buenos Aires.

Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda has called up 30 players for the forthcoming European tour.

IRISH coach Eddie O’Sullivan, quite understandably, fears the strength of the Romanian pack at Lansdowne Road tomorrow but he might also be well advised to keep a watchful eye on a couple of highly promising young backs who played key roles in last week’s late, late 22-20 victory over Canada in Bucharest.

Ireland can expect a bruising forward battle at Lansdowne Road on Saturday after Romania named a pack made up entirely of French-based professionals.

Sale Sharks will face Agen in the last eight of the European Challenge Cup after the French side squeezed past Viadana over the two legs.

Uche O’Douza grabbed a hat-trick as Worcester cruised to emphatic 67-14 victory over Italians Rovigo at Sixways.

London Irish coach Gary Gold believes his team have got “a tough hill to climb” in their quest for a European Challenge Cup quarter-final place.

THE International Rugby Board has spiced up Ireland’s World Cup clash with hosts Australia by controversially placing the Wallabies below Ireland in the latest world rankings.

Italy have named their team to play Scotland in RBS 6 Nations on Saturday at Murrayfield.

Ireland 39,Romania 8

Unbeaten Connacht have mounting injury problems ahead of tomorrow's Parker Pen European Shield clash with Pool Four leaders Sale in Galway.

Diego Dominguez has been ruled out of Italy’s Six Nations clash with England at Twickenham on February 17.