Van Zyl to start for Italy against Scotland
- Published
Italy beat Japan 31-24 in Cesena last week
Italy coach Nick Mallett has made 11 changes for Saturday's World Cup warm-up Test against Scotland.
The Azzurri have restored a largely first choice three-quarter line, with only winger Tommaso Benvenuti staying in the starting XV.
Captain Sergio Parisse remains at number eight and front-rowers Andrea Lo Cicero and Leonardo Ghiraldini keep their places.
The visitors to Murrayfield beat Japan 31-24 in Cesena last week.
It means that Mallett will have given 26 of his 30-man squad a start in their two warm-ups ahead of the World Cup in New Zealand next month.
Only front-rowers Salvatore Perugini, who is injured, and Fabio Ongaro will not feature, while inexperienced hooker Tommaso D'Apice, who made a brief debut against Japan for the final two minutes, and third choice scrum-half Pablo Canavosio start from the bench for the second game in a row.
South African-born lock Cornelius Van Zyl makes his first start following his debut as a substitute against Japan.
Italy: Andrea Masi (Aironi); Tommaso Benvenuti (Treviso), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont-Auvergne/FRA), Gonzalo Garcia (Treviso), Mirco Bergamasco (Racing-Metro Paris/FRA); Luciano Orquera (Aironi), Fabio Semenzato (Treviso); Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais/FRA) - capt, Robert Barbieri (Treviso), Paul Derbyshire (Treviso); Cornelius Van Zyl (Treviso), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Aironi); Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers/ENG), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Treviso), Andrea Lo Cicero (Racing-Metro Paris/FRA)
Replacements: Tommaso D'Apice (Aironi), Lorenzo Cittadini (Treviso), Marco Bortolami (Aironi), Alessandro Zanni (Treviso), Pablo Canavosio (Calvisano), Riccardo Bocchino (Cavalieri Prato), Matteo Pratichetti (Aironi)