Second day of the Six Nations in Dublin against Ireland on Sunday: Negri, Lorenzo Cannone and Iachizzi out due to injury. Capuozzo returns instead at fullback, Varney at midfield, Allan on the bench
Injuries have forced coach Gonzalo Quesada to launch a completely new third line with which Italy will challenge Ireland on Sunday (4pm) in Dublin on the second day of the Six Nations. Sebastian Negri’s knockout (bruised ribs) which emerged immediately after last Saturday’s match against England, was joined this week by the withdrawals of Lorenzo Cannone and Edoardo Iachizzi.
capuozzo
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Faced with a puzzle that is not easy to put together, Quesada decided to move captain Michele Lamaro to number 8, inserting Manuel Zuliani and Alessandro Izekor as flankers. Thus resisting the temptation to make his debut Ross Vintcent, the other number 8 present in the squad, 21 year old born in South Africa (eligible thanks to an Italian grandfather), raised in the Italian Academies, former Zebre, currently playing for Exeter Chiefs in England . And that he will start from the bench. Two changes also among the back three, where, after having missed the England match due to an indisposition on the eve of the match, Ange Capuozzo returns at fullback, with Tommaso Allan redirected to the bench, while Stephen Varney will be scrumhalf, with Alessandro Garbisi out of the 23. L Another new feature is the return to a 5-3 formation on the bench, with scrum-half Martin Page-Relo ensuring one more change between the midfield. “In making our choices, we started from the players available, considering the injuries, then we hypothesized the match we would like to play, the strength of the opponent”, explained Quesada. “We first of all looked for continuity, because, given the short time we have been together, changing so much is not a good idea: we need points of reference to find each other more easily. Obviously whoever joins will have to adapt.” Having said that Riccardo Favretto was evaluated among the options, that Zuliani “is playing with a finger injury, but that he would still have been a starting option”, that Lamaro “has the skills, confidence and experience to play third center “, spotlight on Alessandro Izekor: “A very quick call, given that he has been playing in Urc for not even a season. Our defense and our attack are very structured, we will need his energy and he must learn quickly what he must do. Vintcent “We have a very positive impression, he is smaller, but he has impressive energy, speed and physique. He is very humble, a worker, proud to be here.”
competition
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If Allan’s exclusion may seem like a surprise, Quesada reveals the reasons: “In a tackle with England he took a bad blow to his shoulder and was unable to train. He only returned yesterday, but without being able to make contact. But he told us that he feels good and therefore will be an important option during the match.” On the scrum-halves: “Ale Garbisi started the first match because he had more training sessions with the team than Varney. We needed him on the bench because he knows England very well. With Ireland we bring Page-Relo on the bench because then he will have a very important role in the next match in France, which he obviously knows well. But we were very clear with all three, they know what the hierarchies are: there is competition and everyone will have an equal chance.” Meanwhile, the opponent’s level rises: Ireland is among the strongest teams in the world. But Quesada doesn’t hide: “I don’t think even the biggest Italian fan will bet a lot of money on our victory… But I can assure you that we will never take the field thinking we don’t have at least a chance. The players’ task is to put all their strength into it, with and without the ball, without ever leaving the match, even in the difficult moments that will arise, for 80 minutes and in all scenarios.” With only one match behind him, it is difficult for the Italian coach to focus on just one aspect of the team that needs improvement. “We work on multiple fronts,” he says. “From a technical point of view, we worked on winning and receiving, the areas that went worst against England. We made mistakes in the defensive deployment, which we cannot repeat. With the team leaders we instead faced the mentality topic. We can develop the ability to believe in ourselves: if we find a match like last Saturday’s, we have to believe in ourselves a little more. The players agree, it will take time, but we can grow.”
Revolution
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Ireland’s XV, on the other hand, is decidedly revolutionized, with coach Andy Farrell making 7 changes for a very experimental lineup. The main news concerns the absence of captain Peter O’Mahony: Caelan Doris, usually deployed as number 8, will replace him in the ranks and role of flanker. Jack Conan will instead play, with Ryan Baird completing the third line. James Ryan will be back on the second line and Finlay Bealham will be on the front line: the two take the place of Tadgh Beirne and Tadhg Furlong respectively, who were rested. The scrum-half also changes, with Farrell relying on the Munster pair and inserting Craig Casey to pair with the confirmed Jack Crowley. Another change in the midfield, with Stuart McCloskey as center in place of Bundee Aki, who doesn’t even go to the bench.
Ireland
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15 Hugo Keenan; 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe; 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Craig Casey; 8 Jack Conan, 7 Caelan Doris (c), 6 Ryan Baird; 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy; 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter. Available: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Harry Byrne, 23 Jordan Larmour.
ITALY
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15 Ange Capuozzo; 14 Lorenzo Pani, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane; 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney; 8 Michele Lamaro (c), 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Alessandro Izeko; 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone; 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Danilo Fischetti. Available: 16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Giosuè Zilocchi, 19 Andrea Zambonin, 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 Martin Page-Relo, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Federico Mori.
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