Friday 22 February 2019 17:16, UK
Italy head coach Conor O'Shea is confident his second-string back-row can put Ireland under pressure at the breakdown when the sides meet in the Six Nations on Sunday.
The Azzurri were hit with their second back-row withdrawal of the week after Seb Negri became a late scratch due to a fever.
A head injury to captain Sergio Parisse had already weakened Italy's pack for Sunday's Rome encounter, and now O'Shea has revealed that flanker Negri was only pulled from the line-up on Thursday morning.
"We have chosen players who can be 100 per cent physically ready, which is why Seb Negri is not in the line-up," O'Shea said.
"This morning he had a high fever and we need our players to be physically ready.
"We have worked hard on the breakdown, we think it is one of the areas where we can put pressure on Ireland."
Benetton flanker Negri's absence is also compounded by a long-term injury to Gloucester back-rower Jake Polledri.
Zebre duo Maxime Mbanda and Jimmy Tuivaiti will start in a rejigged back row, with ex-Harlequins boss O'Shea confident in his selection.
Toulouse hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini will captain the side in Parisse's absence, with ex-Leinster fly-half Ian McKinley taking a seat on the bench.
O'Shea is yet to lead Italy to a Six Nations victory, with his time at the Azzurri helm now stretching into a third championship.
The 48-year-old's brief is as much to build Italian rugby's infrastructures as steer the Test team, but he admitted the time for victories is at hand.
"Last week in Viadana Manda and Tuivaiti played well with Zebre, there is great depth in that area," O'Shea said.
"If we can work on the things we can control we can be very competitive against Ireland.
"The intensity must always be high. We are on the right track I'm sure, but the results must start to arrive too."
