Nick Mallett makes changes for the visit to the Millennium stadium including putting Italy’s former captain Marco Bortolami on the bench for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Wales despite suffering with a neck injury. The experienced lock missed the Azzurri’s first two Six Nations games because of a fractured eye socket.
Other changes are: Andrea Marcato is in for injured David Bortolussi at full-back while Alberto Sgarbi replaces winger Kaine Robertson. Simon Picone replaces Pietro Travagli at scrum-half and Salvatore Perugini is in for dropped prop Andrea Lo Cicero.
Team
Backs: Andrea Marcato (Treviso), Alberto Sgarbi (Treviso), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont-Auvergne), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Ezio Galon (Overmach Parma), Andrea Masi (Biarritz), Simon Picone (Treviso)
Forwards: Salvatore Perugini (Toulouse), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Calvisano), Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester), Santiago Dellape (Biarritz), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Ulster), Josh Sole (Viadana), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais, capt).
Replacements: Carlo Festuccia (Racing-Metro), Andrea Lo Cicero (Racing-Metro), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester), Alessandro Zanni (Calvisano), Pietro Travagli (Overmarch Parma), Paolo Buso (Calvisano), Enrico Patrizio (Petrarca Padova).