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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)
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Latest Comments
Cane shouldn’t have been one last year, based purely on performances. Lakai is as close to a like for like of swap of Savea you’re ever likely to find, based on his short career so far at least. He has many of the same qualities - very strong ball carrier, great at the breakdown, and an absolute work horse on defence. I feel like he and Sititi could lead the way in the loose at the next WC.
I think we have become obsessed with replacing Kaino with someone exactly like him. Kaino was a perfect foil for the other loose forwards we had at the time. Based on the talent we have around at the moment those players could be made up in the aggregate by three players who are all exception all rounders - Lakai, Sititi, and Savea. Missing some height for sure but Sititi’s defensive work in the line out last year was phenomenal. He gets off the ground so quickly and was able to steal a couple of balls off the top of the springbok line out.
If our young locks coming through can actually stay fit long enough to get selected, it seems inevitable that Va’ai could end up in a hybrid 6/lock role.
Go to commentsWas strange game, full of errors and the usual refereeing decisions. Both teams suffered as a result but Ospreys discipline was a major factor. I think this weekend will be different as the Ospreys will pick a full strength team but Scarlets will gain confidence in the fact that only Tipuric was missing in the forwards and they dominated that pack for the whole 80 minutes. If they can repeat that dominance at scrum and breakdown then the Scarlets backs will always have more to offer on the front foot.
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