Six Nations: Italy make six changes for wooden spoon decider

ITALY coach Jacques Brunel has made six changes to the squad that lost against Wales in Cardiff last weekend for their final RBS Six Nations game against Scotland in Rome on Saturday.

The Italians go into the encounter at the Stadio Olimpico on the back of a 24-3 loss in Cardiff and, like the Scots, will be desperate to avoid the ‘wooden spoon’.

Leicester Tigers prop Martin Castrogiovanni has recovered from a fractured rib that saw him miss the last two games and will start this weekend.

Giovambattista Venditti replaces Luke McLean on the right wing while Tommaso Benvenuti will start at centre.

Brunel, pictured, has chosen Benetton Treviso’s Edoardo Gori to replace Fabio Semenzato at scrum-half, while Simone Favaro drops to the bench with flanker Robert Barbieri taking his place in the starting XV. Aironi lock Marco Bortolami replaces Cornelius Van Zyl to earn his 93rd cap.

Australian-born lock Joshua Furno could make his Six Nations debut this weekend having been included in the squad. The 22-year-old made his Azzurri bow back in August.

Italy have won six of their 18 encounters against Scotland, who have not won in Rome since 2006.

Italy team: A Masi (Aironi Rugby); G Venditti (Aironi Rugby), T Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso), G Canale (Clermont-Auvergne), Mirco Bergamasco (Racing-Metro Paris); K Burton (Benetton Treviso), E Gori (Benetton Treviso); A Lo Cicero (Racing Metro-Paris), L Ghiraldini (Benetton Treviso), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers), Q Geldenhuys (Aironi Rugby), M Bortolami (Aironi Rugby), A Zanni (Benetton Treviso), R Barbieri (Benetton Treviso), S Parisse (Stade Francais).

Subs: T D’Apice (Aironi Rugby), L Cittadini (Benetton Treviso), J Furno (Aironi Rugby), S Favaro (Aironi Rugby), M Vosawai (Benetton Treviso), T Botes (Benetton Treviso), G Toniolatti (Aironi Rugby), M Rizzo (Benetton Treviso), A Sgarbi (Benetton Treviso).