Wales to face refreshed Italy on Saturday

Italy coach Jacques Brunel has made seven changes for the Azzurri’s clash against Wales with the relegation of Tobias Botes to the bench in favour of Kris Burton.

Saturday’s fixture also sees the return of Mirco Bergamasco to the left wing to reach his 86th cap with Luke McLean moving to the right. Bergamasco will not however take over kicking duties as he has done in the past with Burton taking up the responsibility.

Botes has been criticised for his poor kicking form in this year’s tournament and Burton’s performance against England did not fare much better.

With two more changes to the back line, Fabio Semenzato will come in at scrum-half to replace his Treviso team-mate Edoardo Gori and Clermont-Auvergne outside-centre Gonzalo Canale replaces Treviso’s Tommaso Benvenuti.

There will be three changes made to Italy’s forwards which will see a reshuffle at prop, second-row and at openside flanker.

Racing Metro prop Andrea Lo Cicero will replace Michele Rizzo, to gain his 94th cap, Cornelius Van Zyl for ex-Gloucester second-row Marco Bortolami, and Aironi’s Simone Favaro, who won man of the match against their game against Leinster on Friday, will replace Robert Barbieri.

ITALY: Andrea Masi; Luke McLean, Gonzalo Canale, Alberto Sgarbi, Mirco Bergamasco, Kristopher Burton, Fabio Semenzato, Andrea Lo Cicero, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Lorenzo Cittadini, Quintin Geldenhuys, Cornelius Van Zyl, Alessandro Zanni, Sergio Parisse (c), Simone Favaro.

REPLACEMENTS: Tommaso D’Apice, Fabio Staibano, Marco Bortolami, Robert Barbieri, Tobias Botes, Tommaso Benvenuti, Giulio Toniolatti.