ANGE CAPUOZZO WILL will miss Italy’s attempt to avoid a ninth straight wooden spoon in the Six Nations after a finger fracture ruled him out of the Azzurri’s clash with Wales in Cardiff.
Toulouse’s Capuozzo sits out Saturday’s final round fixture at the Principality Stadium with the injury to the middle finger of his left hand, picked up during Italy’s historic win over Scotland last weekend.
Capuozzo was key to Italy winning the last time the two sides met in Cardiff two years ago, setting up Edoardo Padovani’s decisive late try.
Lorenzo Pani takes Capuozzo’s place at full-back while Harlequins wing Louis Lynagh, the son of Australian rugby great Michael Lynagh, gets his second cap for the country of his birth after scoring a try on his Test debut.
Lynagh scored the second of Italy’s three tries in a dramatic 31-29 victory over Scotland which was the Azzurri’s first home win in 11 years in the Six Nations.
Gonzalo Quesada’s Italy are four points ahead of bottom-side Wales, making the fixture a shoot-out between the two teams to avoid finishing this year’s Six Nations in last place.
Italy (v Wales)
- 15. Lorenzo Pani
- 14. Louis Lynagh
- 13. Juan Ignacio Brex
- 12. Tommaso Menoncello
- 11. Monty Ioane
- 10. Paolo Garbisi
- 9. Stephen Varney
- 1. Danilo Fischetti
- 2. Giacomo Nicotera
- 3. Simone Ferrari
- 4. Niccolo Cannone
- 5. Federico Ruzza
- 6. Sebastian Negri
- 7. Michele Lamaro (capt)
- 8. Lorenzo Cannone
Replacements:
- 16. Gianmarco Lucchesi
- 17. Mirco Spagnolo
- 18. Giosue Zilocchi
- 19. Andrea Zambonin
- 20. Ross Vintcent
- 21. Manuel Zuliani
- 22. Martin Page-Relo
- 23. Leonardo Marin
