Scotland take on Italy at on the home stage at Murrayfield in Round 5 of the RBS 6 Nations tournament. Kick-off is at 14:30 GMT.
Italy have taken the players who joined in the final minutes of the successful game against France and put them in the first 15, hoping for a winning combination. Scotland’s task in this match will be to avoid a wooden spoon after being beaten in the last four RBS 6 Nations tournament matches. The narrow defeat at Twickenham combined with the spirit of the home crowd may give them some much needed confidence going in to today’s game.
Scotland’s Head Coach, Andy Robinson, said ahead of the Saturday match:
“We know from our own experience that Italy are formidable opponents, especially at the Stadio Flaminio, and our focus this week is on stepping up our performance on our home soil and producing a hard-nosed, complete 80-minute display that the players are capable of delivering and that will give our supporters something to cheer.”
Geoff Cross, is one of only two changes in the starting XV from the team that played against England last weekend. He replaces Moray Low and will gain his fifth cap for Scotland. The 28-year-old Edinburgh tight-head prop, will by starting in his first international for two years. Nikki Walker, the 29-year-old Ospreys wing, will replace Max Evans, who hasn’t recovered from an ankle strain.
Table of Contents
Starting Line-ups – Scotland v Italy RBS 6 Nations 2011
Scotland Starting XV
- 15 Chris Paterson
- 14 Nikki Walker
- 13 Joe Ansbro
- 12 Sean Lamont
- 11 Simon Danielli
- 10 Ruaridh Jackson
- 9 Rory Lawson
- 1 Allan Jacobsen
- 2 Ross Ford
- 3 Geoff Cross
- 4 Richie Gray
- 5 Alastair Kellock
- 6 Nathan Hines
- 7 John Barclay
- 8 Kelly Brown
Scotland Replacements
- 16 Scott Lawson
- 17 Euan Murray
- 18 Scott MacLeod
- 19 Richie Vernon
- 20 Mike Blair
- 21 Dan Parks
- 22 Nick de Luca
Italy Starting XV
- 15 Andrea Masi
- 14 Tommaso Benvenuti
- 13 Gonzalo Canale
- 12 Alberto Sgarbi
- 11 Mirco Bergamasco
- 10 Kris Burton
- 9 Fabio Semenzato
- 1 Salvatore Perugini
- 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini
- 3 Martin Castrogiovanni
- 4 Carlo Del Fava
- 5 Quintin Geldenhuys
- 6 Alessandro Zanni
- 7 Paul Derbyshire
- 8 Sergio Parisse (Capt)
Italy Replacements
- 16 Carlo Festuccia
- 17 Andrea Lo Cicero
- 18 Valerio Bernabo
- 19 Robert Barbieri
- 20 Pablo Canavosio
- 21 Luciano Orquera
- 22 Luke McLean
Officials
- Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
- Assistant Referee: Alan Lewis(Ireland)
- Assistant Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
- TMO: Hugh Watkins (Wales)