The last test of the autumn series is on Saturday in Genoa, the Italian coach brings debutants Opoku and Todaro to the bench: “It’s a match to be faced with the utmost respect against an opponent who plays well, will put in effort and determination”
Compared to the defeat against the Springboks, there are 10 changes made by coach Gonzalo Quesada in the XV with which Italy will face Chile on Saturday in Genoa (9.10 pm), in the third and final test scheduled for the November international. Thus, after having opted for continuity during the matches against Australia and South Africa, the Argentine coach takes advantage of the challenge against a rival of an indisputably lower level to test other men, other ideas, other situations.
confirmations and rookies
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Given the confirmations of fullback Ange Capuozzo, Monty Ioane on the wing and center Tommaso Menoncello (who however slides from first to second), among the three-quarters the new features will be those of Mirko Belloni and Leonardo Marin, wing and center respectively, and those of a completely new midfielder, made up of Giacomo Da Re and Alessandro Garbisi. In the third line, the recovery of Michele Lamaro stands out, who had missed the first two games due to injury and to whom the captaincy was returned (following the diversion of Nacho Brex to the bench), Alessandro Izekor returns, who had come off the bench with the Wallabies, while Lorenzo Cannone is confirmed as number 8. Confirmation also for his brother Nicolò on the second line, where Federico Ruzza will start, having started from the bench in the two previous matches. The front line is decidedly young, where, in addition to the confirmed right prop Simone Ferrari, there will be the hooker Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, from the bench with the Wallabies and Springboks, and the left prop Muhamed Hasa, making his first call in these series, 8 caps between two. The presence of two rookies stands out on the bench: second line Enoch Opoku and winger Edoardo Todaro. With their first appearance on the match list this month also for the other prop Giosuè Zilocchi and for the hooker Pablo Dimcheff, while, in addition to Brex, Danilo Fischetti and Manuel Zuliani also take to the bench for the first time, with Martin-Page Relo as the usual backup halfback.
Friend
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To begin with, however, Quesada wants to give the right importance to Chile: “Because we need to start accepting the fact that they beat Samoa and qualified for the World Cup. It’s a team that has grown a lot, with an interesting style of play. As a culture, the South Americans, as we know, start from a strong scrum, but they show a lot of quality outside with the attacking midfield, a lot of legs, they kick little and always on the pitch, they are the best defense of the tier-2 nations, they are predisposed to maintain possession. Furthermore they will come with a great desire to play a historic match, given that they never have the opportunity to face a tier-1 in these international series”. The Italian coach also says that with regards to the lineup changes, he hasn’t been able to make as many as he would have liked: “Let’s not make them the All Blacks, but Chile is a team to be respected, we will have to build the match in small steps from the start. Fielding too many players that we haven’t used would have meant the risk of finding ourselves with some lack of rhythm problems.” Speaking of Chile, Quesada knows their coach, the Uruguayan Pablo Lemoine, well having played together in the Stade Francasi in the 2000s: “I know his mentality, they will play with maximum commitment and determination, they will know how to honor the shirt. Pablo knows how to create a great atmosphere of emotion. We obviously felt in touch, between our and their staff there are many of us who know each other and this evening we will definitely see each other again. I must also say that this is one of the reasons why our nation is proud to have given this opportunity to their team.”
choices
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Returning to the Italian team, Quesada is happy to have Lamaro back: “He would have been a starter with Australia if he hadn’t been injured in training, but he worked to return and with Ross Vintcent’s injury it’s good, also because we will be able to have Zuliani on the bench as an excellent replacement for the final.” On the fact that Benetton Treviso is a team with strong traction, the coach cuts it short: “When we create a team, we don’t look at where they play”. And the rookies? “We also want to see if they are already at this level or still have to work. We chose based on what we saw on the pitch in the last few games, compared the performances of the players and how we imagine this match will develop.” Finally, a small assessment of what Quesada saw in the first two matches: “I’m quite satisfied”, says the Italian coach. “In the match against Australia, the way we were able to manage situations, score at every opportunity and propose a solid finish. With South Africa there was a bit of frustration because it was a beautiful match, we showed very interesting things, I felt a greater maturity in the team in facing the world champions, a growth compared to what I had seen a year ago with the All Blacks. And in the second half, even if the Springboks did much better, we learned a lot.”
probably fifteen
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Italy: 15 Ange Capuozzo; 14 Mirko Belloni, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Monty Ioane; 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Alessandro Garbisi; 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Alessandro Izekor; 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone; 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Muhamed Hasa. Available: 16 Pablo Dimcheff, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Giosuè Zilocchi, 19 Enoch Opoku, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Martin Page-Relo, 22 Juan Ignacio Brex, 23 Edoardo Todaro.
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