Ange Capuozzo will make his first appearance for Italy since February when starting on the right wing against the Springboks in Turin on Saturday.
The Azzurri are without 16 players through injury for the Nations Championship Test, including captain and flank Michele Lamaro, centres Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello, and winger Louis Lynagh.
With his first-choice midfield unavailable, coach Gonzalo Quesada has selected Leonardo Marin and Paolo Odogwu as his centre combination.
Capuozzo, who has not played for Italy since suffering a shoulder injury against France in the Six Nations in February, starts on the right wing, with Australian Monty Ioane set to earn his 50th Test cap on the left and Mirko Belloni at fullback.
Alessandro Fusco and Paolo Garbisi form the halfback pairing.
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In the pack, Samuele Locatelli will make his Test debut at openside flank, having previously been involved in Italy’s Six Nations squad without getting onto the field.
He joins Lorenzo Cannone and Alessandro Ortombina in the loose trio, with Niccolò Cannone and Federico Ruzza in the second row.
Hooker Giacomo Nicotera will captain Italy for the second time, having first led the team against Namibia last year. He is joined in the front row by props Simone Ferrari and Muhamed Hasa.
Ferrari and replacement flyhalf Tommaso Allan are the only two survivors from Italy’s historic 20-18 victory over the Springboks in Florence in 2016.
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Quesada has opted for a five-three split on the bench, with South African Ross Vintcent and Manuel Zuliani providing loose-forward cover.
ITALY – 15 Mirko Belloni, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Paolo Odogwu, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Alessandro Ortombina, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera (c), 1 Muhamed Hasa.
Bench: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Enoch Opoku Gyamfi, 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 Manuel Zuliani, 22 Stephen Varney, 23 Tommaso Allan.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
The post Capuozzo wings it for injury-hit Azzurri appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Ange Capuozzo will earn his 50th Test cap for Italy on the right wing in Saturday’s Nations Championship Test against the Springboks in Turin.
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