Campo in for England clash

By Mark Stevens
22/2/17

Exeter Chiefs back Michele Campagnaro has been rewarded for his fine club form by being handed a starting role for Italy ahead of Sunday's RBS Six Nations Championship clash with England at Twickenham (3pm).

The 23-year-old has been in sparkling form this term, scoring eight tries in eight appearances for the Devon club, the latest of which came in last weekend's 48-32 Aviva Premiership win at Worcester Warriors.

Campagnaro - who had featured off the bench in the opening two games of this season's Championship against Wales and Ireland - is one of four changes coach Conor O'Shea has made to his starting line-up to face the defending champions.

Three of those changes come in the backs with fly-half Tommaso Allan and wing Giulio Bisegni joining Campagnaro in the starting XV. Braam Steyn replaces Maxime Mbanda at blind-side flanker as Italy search for their first win of the tournament.

England are due to name their squad for the game on Friday morning.

Italy squad to play England: Edoardo Padovani (Zebre); Giulio Bisegni (Zebre), Michele Campagnaro (Exeter Chiefs), Luke McLean (Benetton Treviso), Giovanbattista Venditti (Zebre); Tommaso Allan (Benetton Treviso), Edoardo Gori (Benetton Treviso); Andrea Lovotti (Zebre), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Stade Toulousain), Lorenzo Cittadini (Bayonne), Marco Fuser (Benetton Treviso), Dries Van Schalkwyk (Zebre), Braam Steyn (Benetton Treviso), Simone Favaro (Glasgow Warriors), Sergio Parisse (Stade Français)

Replacements: Ornel Gega (Benetton Treviso), Michele Rizzo (Leicester Tigers), Pietro Ceccarelli (Zebre), George Biagi (Zebre), Maxime Mbandà (Zebre), Giorgio Bronzini (Benetton Treviso), Carlo Canna (Zebre), Tommaso Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso)