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Parisse to miss Italy's last clash

Exeter — Sergio Parisse is out of Italy's last Pool D match at the Rugby World Cup, with coach Jacques Brunel making two changes to his starting XV to play Romania on Sunday.

Parisse returned from injury and played an inspirational role at No 8 in a 16-9 loss to Six Nations champion Ireland last weekend in London but, with Italy out of contention for a quarterfinals spot, the 114-test veteran is unavailable again.

Alessandro Zanni will take Parisse's place, and lock Quintin Geldenhuys will take over as captain.

Stand-in captain and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini has not recovered from a thigh injury.

In the other change, Tommaso Benvenuti replaces the injured Gonzalo Garcia at inside center.

With an average age of 27 years, 201 days, it is also Italy's youngest starting lineup at a World Cup since the 2007 tournament.

Prop Alberto De Marchi, who joined the squad at the start of the week as an injury replacement for Martin Castrogiovanni, could make his World Cup debut if he gets off the bench.

Italy:

15-Luke McLean, 14-Leonardo Sarto, 13-Michele Capagnaro, 12-Tommaso Benvenuti, 11-Giovanbattista Venditti, 10-Tommaso Allan, 9-Edoardo Gori; 8-Alessandro Zanni, 7-Simone Favaro, 6-Francesco Minto, 5-Josh Furno, 4-Quintin Geldenhuys (captain), 3-Lorenzo Cittadini, 2-Andrea Manici, 1-Matias Aguero.

Substitutes: 16-Davide Giazzon, 17-Alberto De Marchi, 18-Dario Chistolini, 19-Valerio Bernabo, 20-Samuela Vunisa, 21-Guglielmo Palazzani, 22-Carlo Canna, 23-Enrico Bacchin.

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