ITALY
In beating his native France last season, coach Jacques Brunel’s Azzurri blew the tournament wide open and they also finished with a flourish in beating Ireland. Given their status as the ‘youngest’ of the Six Nations, progress in the Italian game is unlikely to always follow a steady upward curve but there are grounds for cautious optimism.
The squad are gaining in experience and have a determination to show there is more to game than mere forward power alone.
But with Wasps full-back Andrea Masi, Zebre wing Giovanbattista Venditti and La Rochelle centre Gonzalo Canale all injured, Brunel has selected debutants Angelo Esposito, the Treviso wing, and Zebre full-back Guglielmo Palazzani.
Perpignan’s Scotland-born fly-half Tommaso Allan, 20, has received another call-up after impressing during the November internationals.
But versatile back Mirco Bergamasco is pushing for a recall, with the 30-year-old looking to play his first Test since November 2012 when he broke his knee against Australia in Florence.
In captain Sergio Parisse they have a a world-class back-row good enough to mix it in the frenzy of ruck and maul yet skilled enough with ball in hand to produced passing and playmaking worthy of a Test centre.
Not that Italy’s traditional relish for the scrum will ever disappear so long as Martin Castrogivanni, once of Leicester and now at Toulon, remains in the side.
Form since 2013 Six Nations: L (RSA), L (SAM), L (SCO), L (AUS), W (FIJ), L (ARG)
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