Six Nations, Gonzalo Quesada changes four players for Ireland-Italy

Selected 15 Azzurri for Ireland-Italy

Filed with a defeat, but also with a good overall impression, Italy's 2024 Six Nations opener against England, the Azzurri continue to prepare for Sunday afternoon&#39s challenge against Ireland: the one at Aviva Stadium will be a difficult challenge, to say the least, against a national team that in the last year and a half has lost only one match, at the World Cup against New Zealand.

Compared to the match against the English, Gonzalo Quesada changes four elements of the starting XV: Ange Capuozzo will resume his place in the fullback role in place of Tommaso Allan, Stephen Varney will play as scrum-half in place of Alessandro Garbisi, while in the third line Manuel Zuliani and Alessandro Izekor will play in place of the injured Sebastian Negri and Lorenzo Cannone.

Ireland, on the other hand, will change six elements from last Friday’s triumph in Marseilles against France: there will be McCloskey in place of Aki among the three quarters, in the middle Casey takes over from Gibson-Park, while in the scrum pack Baird, Conan, Ryan and Bealham will play in place of Van der Flier, O'Mahony, Beirne and Furlong. With O'Mahony among the reserves, it will be Doris who will captain the Greens.

These are the two XVs for Ireland-Italy, played Sunday at 3 p.m. local (4 p.m. Italian time):

Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9. Craig Casey, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Caelan Doris (captain), 6 Ryan Baird, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter. Available: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Jeremy Loughman, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21. Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Harry Byrne, 23. Jordan Larmour.

Italy: 15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Lorenzo Pani, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Stephen Varney, 8 Michele Lamaro (captain), 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Danilo Fischetti. On hand: 16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Giosuè Zilocchi, 19 Andrea Zambonin, 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 Martin Page-Relo, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Federico Mori