Italy coach Pierre Berbizier has called Ezio Galon, Fabio Staibano and Leonardo Ghiraldini into his 24-man squad to replace injured trio Fabio Ongaro, Martin Castrogiovanni and Andrea Masi for next month’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Wales.
The Azzurri head into the March 10 encounter at the Stadio Flaminio buoyed by having achieved their first-ever away win in the competition against Scotland on Saturday.
Team manager Carlo Cecchinato wants Italy to build on their Murrayfield win when they host Gareth Jenkins’ winless side.
‘I believe we have called up the best players for the game against the Welsh,’ Cecchinato said.
‘Certainly we are going to meet Wales without three players such as Andrea Masi, Martin Castrogiovanni and Fabio Ongaro.
‘But we have a strong team and we must continue to win after our exploits in Scotland.’
Wales, the 2005 Grand Slam winners, have lost all three of their matches in this year’s championship to date, against Ireland, Scotland and France.
But Cecchinato for one will not be under-estimating the challenge they pose to Italy. ‘Wales are a good team,’ he added. ‘They haven’t won a game yet in this tournament, but I believe they will come in Rome with the clear intention of winning the game.’
Italy squad: Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Valerio Bernabo’ (Cammi Calvisano), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester) (captain), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont Auvergne), Roland de Marigny (Cammi Calvisano), Santiago Dellape’ (Biarritz Olympique), Carlo Festuccia (Rolly GRAN Parma), Ezio Galon (Overmach Parma) Paul Griffen (Cammi Calvisano), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Cammi Calvisano), Andrea Lo Cicero (Infinito L’Aquila), Roberto Mandelli (Rolly Gran Parma) Carlos Nieto (Gloucester), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais), Salvatore Perugini (Toulouse), Ramiro Pez (Bayonne), Matteo Pratichetti (Cammi Calvisano), Kaine Robertson (Arix Viadana), Andrea Scanavacca (Cammi Calvisano), Fabio Staibano (Overmach Parma), Alessandro Troncon (Clermont Auvergne), Maurizio Zaffiri (Cammi Calvisano), Alessandro Zanni.
