1
Louis Lynagh set for debut as Italy make three changes for Scotland
By Josh Raisey
Harlequins winger Louis Lynagh is set to make his Italy debut on Saturday against Scotland at the Stadio Olimpico in round four of the Guinness Six Nations.
The 23-year-old has been named to start on the right wing as head coach Gonzalo Quesada has made three changes from the XV that drew with France in round three.
The Benetton-bound winger replaces Federico Mori in the backline, who has dropped to the bench. Tommaso Menoncello, who started on the wing in Lille, has moved to inside centre to accommodate the former England age-grade winger.
Flanker Sebastian Negri has returned to the starting XV after recovering from a rib injury picked up in the opening match of the Championship against England. Another casualty from that match, No8 Lorenzo Cannone, also returns but has to make do with the bench, with Ross Vintcent starting again.
The final change to the starting XV sees tighthead props Simone Ferrari and Giosue Zilocchi swap roles from last match, with Ferrari starting on this occasion in Rome.
Lynagh becomes the latest player to have been a member of a senior England training squad but end up representing another nation. The son of Australia great Michael, the 96kg wing was born in Italy and has an Italian mother, which made him eligible for England, Italy and Australia.
Despite their 13-13 draw with France, Italy still remain at the foot of the Six Nations table, level on points with Wales, who host France on Sunday.
Italy XV
15 Ange CAPUOZZO (Toulouse, 18 caps)
14 Louis LYNAGH (Harlequins, uncapped)
13 Juan Ignacio BREX (Benetton Rugby, 33 caps)
12 Tommaso MENONCELLO (Benetton Rugby, 16 caps)
11 Monty IOANE (Lyon 28 caps)
10 Paolo GARBISI (Toulon, 34 caps)
9 Martin PAGE-RELO (Lyon, 6 caps)
8 Ross VINTCENT (Exeter Chiefs, 2 caps)
7 Michele LAMARO (Benetton Rugby, 36 caps) – capitano
6 Sebastian NEGRI (Benetton Rugby, 53 caps)
5 Federico RUZZA (Benetton Rugby, 52 caps)
4 Niccolò CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 39 caps)
3 Simone FERRARI (Benetton Rugby, 51 caps)
2 Giacomo NICOTERA (Benetton Rugby, 21 caps)
1 Danilo FISCHETTI (Zebre Parma, 39 caps)
Replacements
16 Gianmarco LUCCHESI (Benetton Rugby, 20 caps)
17 Mirco SPAGNOLO (Benetton Rugby, 3 caps)
18 Giosuè ZILOCCHI (Benetton Rugby, 19 caps)
19 Andrea ZAMBONIN (Zebre Parma, 6 caps)
20 Lorenzo CANNONE (Benetton Rugby, 17 caps)
21 Stephen VARNEY (Gloucester, 27 caps)
22 Leonardo MARIN (Benetton Rugby, 7 caps)
23 Federico MORI (Bayonne, 16 caps)
Trending on RugbyPass
2
South Africa vs England player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
3
Ireland player ratings vs Argentina | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
4
Jake White: As England coach, I’d have been livid
5
Latest Comments
What Savea couldn't control was the use of the bench. There were a couple of home goals from Razor. Ratima has been poor this tour, while Roigard has been an unsurprising revelation. To pull Roigard so early, or at all, was a huge error. You have to wonder if Hotham should be #2 now behind Roigard after Ratima's poor showings.
Tuipulotu should have come on much earlier when the French were starting to gain some physical momentum, perhaps the front row should have been rotated sooner too, even though the starters were fantastic.
DMac needs to go to 10 when he come's off the bench. He's clearly offered a point of difference to the attack when he's come on at flyhalf in his last two cameos, which has helped close out games. Shift BB to fullback or give him a breather.
Barrett had a good game generally, but started to lose his head towards the end, which is a habit he's struggled to kick. Two kicks in an attempt to force miracle plays are evidence of this, one ended in a French try down the other end, the other very well could have ended the same way. The first being a woeful chip while hot on attack in the French 22, the next a woeful cross-kick to a heavily marked wing inside his own 22.
It's a habit that's been the bane of Barrett's game throughout his late career. Credit to him he's bought it into check somewhat, but when the pressure's on he looses his patience and can't help himself but try to force a miracle with the boot.
DMac has been excellent at closing out games at 10 in his last 3 outings, whether we're in front or behind. He offers a different picture to the opposition defence in the last 20 or 30 minutes, and it's something teams have struggled to deal with. And something that was very much missing yesterday.
Go to commentsVery poor execution in the last 10 minutes for ENG (RSA as well to be tbh outside of the defense)
Go to comments