Italy makes key change for crucial clash against Wales

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has made one notable change to his lineup for the upcoming Six Nations clash against Wales in Rome.

The fixture, set for Saturday, could prove decisive in determining which side finishes at the bottom of the tournament standings.

Quesada has largely maintained faith in the squad that started Italy’s 31-19 loss to Scotland in their opening match at Murrayfield. The only change sees Niccolò Cannone come into the second row, replacing Dino Lamb, who moves to the bench.

The decision to bring in Cannone may have been influenced by Italy’s struggles at the breakdown against Scotland. The lack of dominance in that area limited their ability to unleash their dangerous backline and fully test the Scottish defense.

Italy will be confident heading into this match, having defeated Wales in Cardiff last year. They will look to build on their best Six Nations performance in nearly a decade, when they secured two wins and a draw in 2024, finishing fifth and avoiding the wooden spoon for the first time since 2015.

On the other hand, Wales arrives in Rome under immense pressure. They suffered a humiliating 43-0 defeat to France in their opening game, extending their losing streak to 13 consecutive Test matches.

With head coach Warren Gatland’s team struggling for form, this encounter provides a crucial opportunity for both sides to regain momentum in the tournament.

Italy: 15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Martin Page-Relo, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti

Reserves: 16 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17 Luca Rizzoli, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Dino Lamb, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Ross Vintcent, 22 Alessandro Garbisi, 23 Jacopo Trulla