Campagnaro starts against Ireland
Picture: Getty Images[break]
By Mark Stevens
10/3/2016
Exeter Chiefs star Michele Campagnaro will start for Italy ahead of their RBS Six Nations clash with Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
The summer signing from Benetton Treviso has been the stand-out figure for the Azzurri in this season’s competition and he will line-up in the centre alongside Gonzalo Garcia.
Head coach Jacques Brunel, however, has made four changes from his side that lost to Scotland last time out ahead of their meeting with Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
The visitors are without captain and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini (shoulder) and scrum-half Edoardo Gori (fractured rib) this weekend so Guglielmo Palazanni comes into the halfbacks and Davide Giazzon lines out in the front row.
Partnering Palazanni in the half-backs will be his Zebre club-mate, fly-half Edoardo Padovani with Kelly Haimona dropping to the bench.
Brunel’s final change sees George Biagi return to the second row in place of the injured Joshua Furno.
Italy side to face Ireland
15. David Odiete
14. Leonardo Sarto
13. Michele Campagnaro
12. Gonzalo Garcia
11. Mattia Bellini
10. Edoardo Padovani
9. Guglielmo Palazanni
1. Andrea Lovotti
2. Davide Giazzon
3. Lorenzo Cittadini
4. George Biagi
5. Marco Fuser
6. Francesco Minto
7. Alessandro Zanni
8. Sergio Parisse (capt)
Replacements:
16. Oliviero Fabiani
17. Matteo Zanusso
18. Dario Chistolini
19. Quintin Geldenhuys
20. Abraham Steyn
21. Alberto Lucchese
22. Kelly Haimona
23. Luke McLean