Del Fava gets Italy nod

Italy coach Pierre Berbizier has drafted Bourgoin lock Carlos Del Fava into his first 15 for this weekend’s Six Nations Championship clash with France in Paris.

Del Fava, who replaces the injured Santiago Dellape in the second row, is the first alteration Berbizier has made to his starting line-up in the competition, having named unchanged teams for the matches against Ireland and England.

Valerio Bernabo had been a possibility to replace Dellape after being called up from the Italy A side, but he has had to settle for a place on the bench with Del Fava getting the nod instead.

Also coming into the squad on the replacements bench are utility back Ezio Galon and number eight Alessandro Zanni, with flanker Silvio Orlando and fly-half Rima Wakarua the players to make way.

Italy team to play France in RBS 6 Nations Championship in Paris on Saturday: C Stoica (Montpellier); P Canavosio (Calvisano), G Canale (Clermont-Auvergne), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais), L Nitoglia (Calvisano); R Pez (Perpignan), P Griffen (Calvisano); S Perugini (Calvisano), F Ongaro (Treviso), C Nieto (Viadana), C Del Fava (Bourgoin), M Bortolami (Narbonne, captain), J Sole (Viadana), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), S Parisse (Stade Francais).

Replacements: C Festuccia (Parma), A Lo Cicero (L’Aquila), M Castrogiovanni (Calvisano), V Bernabo (Calvisano), A Zanni (Calvisano), S Picone (Treviso), E Galon (Parma).