Italy make three changes for Wales with Ange Capuozzo ruled out

Italy have made three changes from the team that defeated Scotland last weekend for their Wooden Spoon decider against Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday in round five of the Guinness Six Nations.

Fullback Ange Capuozzo is a notable absence from the team, two years after creating Italy’s match-winning try against Wales at the same venue. The Toulouse fullback broke his finger in the 31-29 win over Scotland in Rome.

Lorenzo Pani comes back into the squad to wear the No15 jersey in place of the injured Capuozzo.

There is one other change in the back line, with scrum-halves Stephen Varney and Martin Page-Relo swapping roles from last week, with the former starting in Cardiff. Page-Relo joins Leonardo Marin as one of two backs among the substitutes, as Gonzalo Quesada has opted for a 6-2 split.

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No8 Lorenzo Cannone retakes his place in the starting XV, with the Exeter Chiefs’ Ross Vintcent dropping to the bench. Cannone missed rounds two and three of the Championship with a knee injury, but returned to the bench last weekend.

Following a 13-13 draw with France in round three and their win over Scotland in round four, Italy head into the match with a lot of confidence, particularly when considering they won this fixture two years ago.

Fixture

Six Nations

Wales

21 - 24

Full-time

Italy

All Stats and Data

The Azzurri have a four-point lead over Warren Gatland’s side in the standings, and a superior points difference of eleven points. That means they can still lose the match and avoid receiving the Wooden Spoon, providing they do not give Wales any bonus points and stay within eleven points.

A losing bonus point will guarantee Italy do not finish at the foot of the table, regardless of how many tries Wales score.

Italy XV
15 Lorenzo PANI (Zebre Parma, 7 caps)
14 Louis LYNAGH (Harlequins, 1 cap)
13 Juan Ignacio BREX (Benetton Rugby, 34 caps)
12 Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 16 caps)
11 Monty IOANE (Lyon29 caps)
10 Paolo GARBISI (Toulon, 35 caps)
9 Stephen VARNEY (Gloucester, 28 caps)
8 Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 18 caps)
7 Michele LAMARO (Benetton Rugby, 37 caps) – cap
6 Sebastian NEGRI (Benetton Rugby, 54 caps)
5 Federico RUZZA (Benetton Rugby, 53 caps)
4 Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 40 caps)
3 Simone FERRARI (Benetton Rugby, 52 caps)
2 Giacomo NICOTERA (Benetton Rugby, 22 caps)
1 Danilo FISCHETTI (Zebre Parma, 40 caps)

Replacements
16 Gianmarco LUCCHESI (Benetton Rugby, 21 caps)
17 Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 4 caps)
18 Giosuè ZILOCCHI (Benetton Rugby, 20 caps)
19 Andrea ZAMBONIN (Zebre Parma, 7 caps)
20 Ross VINTCENT (Exeter Chiefs, 3 caps)
21 Manuel ZULIANI (Benetton Rugby, 20 caps)
22 Martin PAGE-RELO (Lyon, 7 caps)
23 Leonardo MARIN (Benetton Rugby, 8 caps)

Six Nations

Brian O'Driscoll

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