Italy v Argentina - teams and predition
PREVIEW: Gonzalo Quesada expects his Italy team to be ring rusty when they take on his home nation Argentina in the Azzurri's opening November Test match on Saturday, hoping to end a positive year on a high.
In Udine, Italy will take to the field together for the first time since a mid-year win over Japan for the first of three Tests this month including a daunting clash with New Zealand.
Quesada has been in charge of Italy since January and guided the traditional minnows to their best-ever Six Nations campaign, with victories over Scotland and Wales and a thrilling draw with France which would have been another win but for a late penalty which struck the post.
Italy are being taken increasingly seriously as a Rugby Union nation, even if their infrastructure, level of investment and club scene is dwarfed by the traditional powerhouses.
But Quesada warned that Italy have a fight on their hands against Argentina, who finished third in the Rugby Championship and were battling for the title right until their final day hammering by tournament winners South Africa in late September.
"There will be times when we get things right and others where you'll see that we haven't played together for a long time," Quesada told reporters on Thursday.
"I have a lot of faith in the group and their ability to compensate for any lacking spontaneity with defence, footwork and desire to fight.
"We haven't played since July 21, whereas they have only just finished their tournament. I'm not worried that they'll be more match fit than us, it's just the reality."
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Returning Allan boost
Quesada has been given a boost by the return of Tommaso Allan, Italy's all-time top scorer in the Six Nations, returning to international duty for Italy after an eight-month absence.
Perpignan flyhalf Allan hasn't played for Italy since his February announcement that he would put his international career on hold to prioritise spending time with his family.
But he returns as a replacement for Saturday's clash with Argentina, with further matches against Georgia and the All Blacks later this month.
Allan missed all four wins Italy have earned under Quesada, making the last of his 80 Italy appearances during the 24-27 home loss to England which kicked off their most recent Six Nations campaign.
His comeback further bolsters a line-up featuring a clutch of foreign-born players like Ange Capuozzo and Monty Ioane but dominated by young locally developed talent.
Those include the likes of Toulon fly-half Paolo Garbisi and Tommaso Menoncello, who was voted the best player at the last Six Nations.
"I'm really happy with what I've seen on the field. I'm not expecting a perfect performance and I expect it to be a very even match," added Quesada.
"The boys that are playing today are those who have been developed over the last 10-15 years... I hope that we continue to grow with players born or developed in Italy."
Players to watch
For Italy: Tommaso Allan will return to international duty for Italy after an eight-month absence. The Perpignan flyhalf Allan hasn't played for Italy since his February announcement that he would put his international career on hold to prioritise spending time with his family. Wing Louis Lynagh and loosehead Mirco Spagnolo are Italy’s two players with under 10 caps, with four and six. There is plenty of experience on their benches as well, with Danilo Fischetti, Simone Ferrari and Tommaso Allan all with over 40 caps.
For Argentina: Felipe Contepomi was forced into a major reshuffle among the backs due to injury. Only flyhalf Tomas Albornoz and wing Rodrigo Isgro keep their places from the starting lineup that lost 7-48 to South Africa in September's Rugby Championship decider in Nelspruit. Argentina has lost centre Santiago Chocobares for the rest of the year after he picked up an injury against the Springboks while Santiago Carreras will miss out because of a calf strain. At fullback, Juan Cruz Mallia replaces Carreras while Matias Orlando is in for Chocobares at centre, with Bautista Delguy coming onto the wing in place of Mateo Carreras. At scrumhalf, Gonzalo Garcia drops to the bench to be replaced by Gonzalo Bertranou. Pablo Matera is suspended and Marcos Kremer is still injured, but the loose forward trio stays the same. In the second row, Franco Molina is in for Tomas Lavanini, who has a sprained ankle. The 40-year-old prop Francisco Gomez Kodela, who was recalled to the touring party for this month’s Tests against Italy, Ireland, and France, is among the replacements.
Head to head
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Prediction
@rugby365com: Argentina by three points
Teams
Italy: 15 Ange Capuozzo, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Martin Page-relo, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Mirco Spagnolo.
Replacements: 16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Dino Lamb, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Alessandro Garbisi, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Marco Zanon./
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Matias Orlando, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Joaquin Oviedo, 7 Santiago Grondona, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Ignacio Calles, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Matias Alemmano, 20 Bautista Pedemonte, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Matias Moroni, 23 Santiago Cordero.
Date: Saturday, November 9
Venue: Stadio Friuli, Udine
Kick-off: 18.40 (17.40 GMT; 14.40 Argentina time)
Expected weather: Sun through high clouds. Very little chance of precipitation. High of 17°C and a low of 5°C
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Adam Leal (England)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)