Italy team: Gonzalo Quesada forced into sole change as Scotland heroes rewarded
Gonzalo Quesada (right) has made just one change to his side this weekend
Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has made just one change to his starting XV to face Ireland this weekend, with Lorenzo Pani coming into the side for Nacho Brex.
The Azzurri head to Dublin full of confidence following a gutsy 18-15 win over Scotland in round one, a victory which has been rewarded in this selection with 22 of that 23 retained.
Pani’s promotion into the starting XV also sees Paolo Odogwu come onto the bench, but there is still no room for Ange Capuozzo despite him returning to training earlier this week.
Gonzalo Quesada rewards Scotland heroes
The introduction of the Zebre ace also forces a slight reshuffle of the Italian backline, with Pani slotting in at full-back, Tommaso Menoncello sliding over to 13 and Leonardo Marin moving to inside centre. Brex misses the Test due to family reasons.
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Elsewhere, it is as it was for that win in Rome, with Louis Lynagh and Monty Ioane on the wings, while Paolo Garbisi and Alessandro Fusco continue at half-back.
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Quesada has also kept his pack together this weekend, with Lorenzo Cannone, Manuel Zuliani, skipper Michele Lamaro, Andrea Zambonin, Niccolò Cannone, Simone Ferrari, Giacomo Nicotera and Danilo Fischetti all starting once more.
Odogwu is also the sole change on the bench, with Quesada deploying a 6:2 split among his replacements.
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Italy team v Ireland in full
Starting XV: 15 Lorenzo Pani, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Manuel Zuliani, 6 Michele Lamaro (c), 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Giacomo Nicotera, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: 16 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 Federico Ruzza, 20 Riccardo Favretto, 21 David Odiase, 22 Alessandro Garbisi 23 Paolo Odogwu
Date: Saturday, 14 February, 2026
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (RFU), Luc Ramos (FFR)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
READ MORE: Scotland team: Gregor Townsend swings axe as NO Edinburgh players make starting XV
