(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 7 - Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada is
fielding a core of nine Benetton Treviso players in his starting
line-up for Saturday's opening Autumn Nations Series match
against Argentina in Udine.
The rest of the team comes from overseas clubs, above teams in
the French Top 14.
Prop Mirco Spagnolo gets his first start for the national team.
Veteran flyhalf Tommaso Allan is on the bench after returning to
the Azzurri fold following a break for family reasons.
Italy: 15 Ange Capuozzo (Stade Toulosain), 14 Louis Lynagh
(Benetton), 13 Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton), 12 Tommaso
Menoncello (Benetton), 11 Monty Ioane (Lyon); 10 Paolo Garbisi
(Toulon), 9 Martin Page-Relo (Lyon); 8 Lorenzo Cannone
(Benetton), 7 Michele Lamaro (captain., Benetton); 6 Sebastian
Negri (Benetton); 5 Federico Ruzza (Benetton), 4 Niccolò Cannone
(Benetton); 3 Marco Riccioni (Saracens), 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi
(Toulon), 1 Mirco Spagnolo (Benetton).
Replacements: 16 Giacomo Nicotera (Stade Francais), 17 Danilo
Fischetti (Zebre), 18 Simone Ferrari (Benetton), 19 Dino Lamb
(Harlequins), 20 Manuel Zuliani (Benetton), 21 Alessandro
Garbisi (Benetton), 22 Tommaso Allan (Perpignan), 23 Marco Zanon
(Benetton). (ANSA).
Rugby: Italy to rely on Benetton core against Pumas
Nine Treviso-based players in starting XV
