All the team news ahead and starting XVs for this weekend’s Six Nations fixtures.
Italy v Wales
(Stadio Flaminio, Saturday, 3pm Irish time)
Prop Carlos Nieto and winger Giulio Rubini were the only changes in Italy's team to face Wales on Saturday. Rubini, who came on as a replacement in last month's 26-6 defeat by Scotland for his only cap, comes in for Gonzalo Garcia with Mirco Bergamasco moving back to centre having played out wide at Murrayfield.
Nieto has replaced Martin Castrogiovanni, who drops to the bench. Nick Mallett's side, who have also lost to England and Ireland, are bottom of the table and have conceded 100 points so far.
However, the South African has resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes although debutant Roberto Quartaroli will be on the bench.
Wales coach Warren Gatland named his side a week early and made a total of 10 changes for the trip to Rome. The only players retained from the defeat in Paris are Alun-Wyn Jones, fullback Lee Byrne, wing Shane Williams and number eight Andy Powell, while Jamie Roberts moves from inside to outside centre.
Regular skipper Ryan Jones is on the bench, along with fellow Grand Slam stars from last season in Stephen Jones, Mike Phillips and Gethin Jenkins. And players rested completely from the Rome-bound matchday 22 on Saturday week include prop Adam Jones, lock Ian Gough and flanker Martyn Williams.
ITALY: A Marcato (Benetton Treviso), G Rubini (Parma), G Canale (Clermont-Auvergne), 12 Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais), M Pratichetti (Calvisano), L McLean (Calvisano), P Griffen (Calvisano), S Parisse (Stade Francais), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), A Zanni (Calvisano), M Bortolami (Gloucester), S Dellape (Toulon), C Nieto (Gloucester), L Ghiraldini (Calvisano), S Perugini (Toulouse). Replacements: F Sbaraglini (Benetton Treviso), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester), C A Del Fava (Ulster), J Sole (Viadana), P Canavosio (Viadana), L Orquera (Brive), R Quartaroli (Cariparma).
WALES: L Byrne (Ospreys); M Jones (Scarlets), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), G Henson (Ospreys), S Williams (Ospreys); J Hook (Ospreys), M Phillips (Ospreys); J Yapp (Cardiff Blues), H Bennett (Ospreys), R Thomas (Newport Gwent Dragons), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), A-W Jones (Ospreys, capt), J Thomas (Ospreys), D Jones (Scarlets), A Powell (Cardiff Blues). Replacements: M Rees (Scarlets), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), R Jones (Ospreys), W Fury (London Irish), S Jones (Scarlets), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues).
Scotland v Ireland
(Murrayfield, Saturday, 5pm)
Ireland coach Declan Kidney has revamped his starting line-up as the Grand Slam bandwagon rolls into Edinburgh. Having stuck with the same side in the opening three Six Nations wins, Kidney has made four changes for the match against Scotland.
Back come Gordon D’Arcy and Peter Stringer at centre and scrumhalf with Rory Best and Denis Leamy named in the pack. Paddy Wallace, Tomas O'Leary, Jerry Flannery and Jamie Heaslip are the players to make way.
The recalls for D’Arcy, in particular, and Best had been expected, the inclusion of both Stringer and Leamy less so. But having maintained all along that he would adopt a squad system, Kidney was as good as his word today as he freshened things up and rewarded some fine performances from the bench.
Jim Hamilton was recalled to the Scotland side after recovering from a shoulder injury. The Edinburgh lock, who missed the win over Italy, comes in for Glasgow captain Alastair Kellock.
Head coach Frank Hadden had delayed finalising his 22 for this weekend’s match at Murrayfield to give Hamilton and fellow secondrow Nathan Hines more time to prove their fitness. Hines has been named on the bench and could make his first appearance of the championship after recovering from a knee injury.
SCOTLAND: C Paterson (Edinburgh); S Danielli (Ulster), M Evans (Glasgow), G Morrison (Glasgow), T Evans (Glasgow); P Godman (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh, capt); A Dickinson (Gloucester), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton); J White (Sale), J Hamilton (Edinburgh); A Strokosch (Gloucester), J Barclay (Glasgow), S Taylor (Stade Français). Replacements: D Hall (Glasgow), M Low (Glasgow), N Hines (Perpignan), S Gray (Northampton), C Cusiter (Perpignan), N De Luca (Edinburgh), H Southwell (Edinburgh).
IRELAND: R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), G D'Arcy (Leinster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), P Stringer (Munster); M Horan (Munster), R Best (Ulster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), D Leamy (Munster). Replacements: J Flannery (Munster), T Court (Ulster), M O'Driscoll (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster), T O'Leary (Munster), P Wallace (Ulster), G Murphy (Leicester).
England v France
(Twickenham, Sunday, 3pm)
Simon Shaw will make his first England start under Martin Johnson after being named as one of three changes in the team to play France.
The veteran Wasps lock (36) has replaced Nick Kennedy in the secondrow, while Leicester’s in-form flanker Tom Croft has edged out James Haskell at blindside. Harlequins winger Ugo Monye returns to the side in place of calf injury victim Paul Sackey.
Sebastien Chabal will be under orders to smash some holes in England’s much-vaunted defence when he reverts to France’s backrow for “Le Crunch” at Twickenham on Sunday.
The Sale Sharks forward has been used as a lock for France’s first three matches of the Six Nations but will be unleashed as a flanker this weekend, with the French beefing up their pack for what is always their stand-out fixture of the tournament.
There are three personnel changes to the team that started the superb victory against Wales a week and a half ago, prop Lionel Faure and lock Jerome Thion coming into the pack and Francois Trinh-Duc replacing the injured Benoit Baby at outhalf.
ENGLAND: D Armitage (London Irish); U Monye (Harlequins), M Tindall (Gloucester), R Flutey (Wasps), M Cueto (Sale Sharks); T Flood (Leicester), H Ellis (Leicester); A Sheridan (Sale Sharks), L Mears (Bath), P Vickery (Wasps); S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), S Shaw (Wasps); T Croft (Leicester), J Worsley (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins). Replacements: D Hartley (Northampton), J White (Leicester), J Haskell (Wasps), N Kennedy (London Irish), D Care (Harlequins), A Goode (Brive), M Tait (Sale Sharks).
FRANCE: M Medard (Toulouse); J Malzieu (Clermont), M Bastareaud (Stade Français), Y Jauzion, C Heymans (both Toulouse); F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), M Parra (Bourgoin); L Faure (Sale), D Szarzewski, S Marconnet (both Stade Français); L Nallet (Castres, capt), J Thion (Biarritz); T Dusautoir (Toulouse), S Chabal (Sale), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz). Replacements: B Kayser (Leicester), T Domingo (Clermont), L Picamoles (Montpellier), J Bonnaire (Clermont), S Tillous-Borde (Castres), F Fritz (Toulouse), D Traille (Biarritz).
