Italy bring in Jayden Hayward at full-back

Adam Kyriacou
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Italy head coach Franco Smith has made one change in personnel to his starting line-up that will face France in Round Two of the Six Nations in Paris on Sunday, with Jayden Hayward called in.

The alteration comes at full-back where Hayward comes into the side, which means Matteo Minozzi moves to the wing. Leonardo Sarto is the player to drop out of the team as he is absent from the matchday 23.

Minozzi will run out on the left wing as Mattia Bellini switches to number 14 in an otherwise unchanged XV from Italy. This coming after a disappointing opening performance against Wales that they lost 42-0.

Carlo Canna continues at inside centre as a second playmaker option outside Tommaso Allan, who is joined in the half-backs by Callum Braley, with Luca Morisi completing the Italian backline at outside centre.

Up front hooker Luca Bigi leads the side while the Azzurri will hope to see greater impact from back-row trio Jake Polledri, Sebastian Negri and Abraham Steyn in this difficult fixture against an in-form France.

Italy: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Carlo Canna, 11 Matteo Minozzi, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Abraham Steyn, 7 Sebastian Negri, 6 Jake Polledri, 5 Niccolò Cannone, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Giosuè Zilocchi, 2 Luca Bigi (c), 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Federico Zani, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Marco Riccioni, 19 Dean Budd, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Giovanni Licata, 22 Guglielmo Palazzani, 23 Giulio Bisegni

Date: Sunday, February 9
Venue: Stade de France
Kick-off: 16:00 local (15:00 GMT)
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

 

Italy