Quesada reshuffles Italy pack with wholesale changes up front for Ireland visit

Italy's Head Coach Gonzalo Quesada. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has shaken things up for Ireland's visit to Rome on Saturday, with five changes, two more positional switches and a new captain.

The Italians went down 47-24 to England at Allianz Stadium last time out. After an impressive performance off the bench, Manuel Zuliani earns a starting spot, replacing captain Michele Lamaro, with leadership duties shifting to Juan Ignacio Brex.

In the back row, Zuliani is joined by the ever-present Sebastian Negri and the returning Lorenzo Cannone, who gets the nod over Ross Vintcent—one of Italy’s try-scorers at Twickenham. The second row sees Dino Lamb return alongside Federico Ruzza, having recovered from the injury that sidelined him for the past two rounds of the Championship.

Up front, Danilo Fischetti is the only forward to retain his place, while Simone Ferrari comes in at tighthead, and Gianmarco Lucchesi starts at hooker.

At half-back, Martin Page-Relo replaces Stephen Varney, linking up with Paolo Garbisi at fly-half. The midfield remains unchanged, with captain Brex and Tommaso Menoncello forming the centre partnership. In the back three, Tommaso Allan returns at full-back, shifting Ange Capuozzo to the wing, where he joins Monty Ioane.

On the bench, Italy opt for a 6-2 split with Leonardo Marin making his first appearance of the tournament, alongside Varney. The forward replacements include Giacomo Nicotera, Mirco Spagnolo, Giosuè Zilocchi, Niccolò Cannone, as well as Lamaro and Vintcent.

ITALY: T Allan (USAP), A Capuozzo (Toulousain), J I Brex (Benetton), T Menoncello (Benetton), M Ioane (LOU), P Garbisi (Toulon), M Page-Relo (LOU); D Fischetti (Zebre Parma), G Lucchesi (Toulon), S Ferrari (Benetton), D Lamb (Harlequins), F Ruzza (Benetton), S Negri (Benetton), M Zuliani (Benetton), L Cannone (Benetton Rugby)

Replacements: G Nicotera (Stade Francais), M Spagnolo (Benetton), G Zilocchi (Benetton), N Cannone (Benetton), M Lamaro (Benetton), R Vintcent (Exeter Chiefs), S Varney (RC Vannes), L Marin (Benetton)