Thursday 19 March 2015 15:09, UK
Sergio Parisse will miss Italy's final Six Nations game against Wales with the ankle injury he sustained in their defeat by France.
The Azzurri captain, who is now Italy's most-capped player, limped off during the 29-0 reverse in Rome but hopes had been raised earlier in the week that he might be fit to take on Warren Gatland's title-chasers.
However, he has not recovered in time and his place at No 8 will go to Samuela Vunisa, the Fiji-born back-rower moving over from flanker as part of a side that shows a number of changes.
Vunisa's switch gives Mauro Bergamasco a chance to win his 102nd cap at openside.
"He has made great progress since Sunday, walking normally," team manager Luigi Troiani said. "But to play him in Saturday's game might impair the normal recovery time."
Kelly Haimona, who was dropped for the France match, returns at fly-half in place of Tommaso Allan after he suffered a hamstring injury last weekend.
Italy have also made two changes to their front row, with Martin Castrogiovanni returning to the tighthead prop position and loosehead Michele Rizzo coming in for Dario Chistolini, who drops back to the replacements' bench.
Castrogiovanni was previously dropped for the last two games after being bitten on the nose by a friend's dog, but coach Jacques Brunel recalled him to his squad earlier in the week.
Veteran hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini takes over the captain's armband from Parisse.
Italy go into the game in fifth place in the table, but know a defeat at the hands of Wales and a Scotland win at home to Ireland would see them 'win' the wooden spoon for the second successive year.
Brunel said: "We wanted to build on the victory (against Scotland) in Edinburgh, but we did not succeed.
"I expect a tough game on Saturday, but I expect that we will give a different picture from the one seen last Sunday. Wales will try to impose its own rhythm, its intensity, its power.
"They are a team that has confidence in its game, and we expect a Welsh XV that will have the ability to apply pressure with ball in hand and with the boot."
Italy: 15 Luke McLean; 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Andrea Masi, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti; 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori; 1 Michele Rizzo, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini (c), 3 Martin Castrogiovanni; 4 George Biagi, 5 Joshua Furno; 6 Francesco Minto, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 8 Samuela Vunisa.
Replacements: 16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Quintin Geldenhuys, 20 Roberto Barbieri, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Luciano Orquera, 23 Enrico Bacchin.
