Canale steps in for Italy to face Scots

Gonzalo Canale will replace injured centre Alberto Sgarbi in the only change to Italy’s side for the Six Nations championship match against Scotland at Murrayfield 
tomorrow.

The Azzurri stunned France 23-18 in Rome last weekend and coach Jacques Brunel has kept faith with his team. Sgarbi only misses out because of an ankle problem, said the Italian Rugby Federation.

Gonzalo Garcia takes Canale’s place on the bench at Murrayfield with the latter recovering from a thigh knock to start the game.

Italy, who beat Scotland last year to leave their rivals finishing bottom of the table, will hand a 100th cap to 36-year-old prop Andrea Lo Cicero and a 50th appearance to hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini.

Team: Andrea Masi (Wasps); Giovanbattista Venditti (Zebre), Tommaso Benvenuti (Treviso), Gonzalo Canale (La Rochelle), Luke McLean (Treviso); Luciano Orquera (Zebre), Tobias Botes (Treviso); Andrea Lo Cicero (Racing Metro), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Treviso), Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester), Quintin Geldenhuys (Zebre), Francesco Minto (Treviso), Alessandro Zanni (Treviso), Simone Favaro (Treviso), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais capt). Subs: Davide Giazzon (Zebre), Alberto De Marchi (Treviso), Lorenzo Cittadini (Treviso), Antonio Pavanello (Treviso), Paul Derbyshire (Treviso), Edoardo Gori (Treviso), Kristopher Burton (Treviso), Gonzalo Garcia (Zebre)