Italy unchanged for Scotland clash

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.

The Italians go into the encounter looking to get their campaign up and running after defeats to Ireland and England in their two opening games of the tournament.

The Azzurri pushed England close before falling to a 17-12 defeat a fortnight ago.

Italy welcome back Viadana’s Carlo Antonio Del Fava from injury, however.

Del Fava missed the clash against England with a right knee problem and will sit on the bench this weekend in place of Valerio Bernabo, who has been dropped from the squad.

Mallett’s side will be desperate to claim their first win in the tournament since beating Scotland 23-20 in Rome in March 2008.

Italy team to face Scotland:

Luke McLean (Benetton Treviso); Andrea Masi (Racing Metro Paris), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont-Auvergne), Gonzalo Garcia (Benetton Treviso), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais); Craig Gower (Bayonne), Tito Tebaldi (Gran Parma); Salvatore Perugini (Bayonne), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Benetton Treviso), Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester), Quintin Geldenhuys (Viadana), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester), Josh Sole (Viadana), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Alessandro Zanni (Benetton Treviso).

Replacements: Fabio Ongaro (Saracens), Matias Aguero (Saracens), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Viadana), Paul Derbyshire (Petrarca Padova), Pablo Canavosio (MPS Viadana), Ricardo Bocchino (Rovigo), Kaine Robertson (Viadana).