Share

Italy make one change

Milan - Italy coach Jacques Brunel made only one change from the side that started in the 23-18 triumph over France last week for the Azzurri's second Six Nations challenge Saturday against Scotland.

Gonzalo Canale, who plays club rugby for La Rochelle in France, replaces Alberto Sgarbi at inside centre after the latter picked up an injury knock.

Remarkably, it is the only change from the team that battled through a bruising and entertaining encounter against France at the Olympic Stadium to record a famous victory in Rome last Sunday.

Brunel has kept faith with the half-back pairing of Luciano Orquera and Tobias Botes, the former having kicked 10 points in the France victory before Kris Burton sealed the win with a 68th-minute drop goal.

Burton once again starts on the bench for the Azzurri, who will travel to Murrayfield hoping to notch their third successive win in the tournament having capped last year's edition with victory over Scotland.

Edinburgh could also be a memorable occasion for loose-head prop Andrea Lo Cicero, who will pick up his 100th Italy cap in the Scottish capital to sit just one behind the 101-cap record of Alessandro Troncon.

Italy's next Six Nations game at home is against Wales on February 23.

Teams:

Revised Scotland team: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Sean Lamont, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Ruaridh Jackson, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Johnnie Beattie, 7 Kelly Brown (captain), 6 Robert Harley, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Ryan Grant

Substitutes: 16 Pat MacArthur, 17 Moray Low, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Alastair Kellock, 20 David Denton, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Duncan Weir, Max Evans

Italy: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Giovanbattista Venditti, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Gonzalo Canale, 11 Luke McLean, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Tobias Botes, 8 Sergio Parisse (captain), 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Francesco Minto, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lo Cicero

Substitutes: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 Antonio Pavanello, 20 Paul Derbyshire, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Kristopher Burton, 23 Gonzalo Garcia.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1116 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1281 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 1975 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE