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Italy and Romania have announced their teams for their vital Pool D match in Exeter on Sunday. The game will serve as a straight knock-out of sorts as the winner automatically qualifies for the 2019 World Cup. Both sides will have to compete without their respective captains, with Sergio Parisse dropping out injured once again and Mihai Macovei suspended for a dangerous tackle, though there is a slim chance of a return pending the result of an appeal to be heard on Saturday.
Jacques Brunel has otherwise retained the same lineup that gave Ireland a scare in London with the exception of Tommaso Benvenuti at no12, filling the hole left by another injury to Gonzalo García. Alessandro Zanni comes in at the vacant no8 spot, while second row Quintin Geldenhuys is the third player to wear the captain’s armband for the Azzurri during the tournament.
Alberto de Marchi is on the bench after being called up for Michele Rizzo, but there is no place for retiring flanker Mauro Bergamasco, with Simone Favaro again preferred on the flank and Samuela Vunisa selected as back row reserve. Bergamasco has almost certainly now played his last test for Italy, finishing on 106 caps over his illustrious 17 year international career.
The only change to Romania’s lineup aside from Macovei, who has been replaced by Daniel Carpo, is the addition of Valentin Calafeteanu at scrumhalf in place of injured Florin Surugiu. Uncapped Tudorel Bratu is set to make his senior international debut as cover from the bench. Valentin Ursache will captain the side should Macovei’s appeal be unsuccessful.
Despite a long history of competition against one-another, the two sides have not met since the World Cup in 2007, when Italy came away 24-18 winners. The Oaks have otherwise beaten the Azzurri only twice since 1990, a 26-12 victory in 1994 and 25-24 a decade later, both in the Romanian capital.
ITALY
1 Matías Agüero 2 Andrea Manici 3 Lorenzo Cittadini 4 Quintin Geldenhuys (capt.) 5 Joshua Furno 6 Francesco Minto 7 Simone Favaro 8 Alessandro Zanni 9 Edoardo Gori 10 Tommaso Allan 11 Giovanbattista Venditti 12 Tommaso Benvenuti 13 Michele Campagnaro 14 Leonardo Sarto 15 Luke McLean
16 Davide Giazzon 17 Alberto de Marchi 18 Dario Chistolini 19 Valerio Bernabò 20 Samuela Vunisa 21 Guglielmo Palazzani 22 Carlo Canna 23 Enrico Bacchin
ROMANIA
1 Mihaita Lazar 2 Otar Turashvili 3 Paulica Ion 4 Valentin Poparlan 5 Johan van Heerden 6 Valentin Ursache (capt.) 7 Viorel Lucaci 8 Daniel Carpo 9 Valentin Calafeteanu 10 Michael Wiringi 11 Ionut Botezatu 12 Florin Vlaicu 13 Paula Kinikinilau 14 Madalin Lemnaru 15 Catalin Fercu
16 Andrei Radoi 17 Andrei Ursache 18 Horatiu Pungea 19 Marius Antonescu 20 Stelian Burcea 21 Tudorel Bratu 22 Adrian Apostol 23 Csaba Gal
