Italy's Mauro Bergamasco set to play in record-equaling fifth World Cup
Thursday 24 September 2015 15:20, UK
Mauro Bergamasco will become only the second man to play in five World Cups if he comes off the bench against Canada in Leeds on Saturday.
Bergamasco will equal the record set by Samoa's Brian Lima.
The Italians made four changes from the 32-10 loss to France on Sunday, two in both midfield and the front row.
Gonzalo Garcia and Tommaso Benvenuti replace Andrea Masi, who sustained a tournament-ending Achilles injury against France, and the benched Michele Campagnaro at centre.
Props Matias Aguero and Martin Castrogiovanni drop out for Michele Rizzo and Lorenzo Cittadini.
Italy conceded 19 penalties against France, with Castrogiovanni guilty of conceding many of them. South African referee Craig Joubert was particularly severe on the Toulon prop - unfairly, Brunel felt.
He said: "We have had the same scrum for the last 10 years and one week you look good and the next everything goes against you. I know the ref is always right but sometimes it is good to know what we need to do," he said.
There is no return from injury yet for influential captain Sergio Parisse.
The No 8 underwent surgery to drain a blood clot from his leg after his side's last warm-up game against Wales and sat out the France defeat.
Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Leonardo Sarto, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Edoardo Gori, 1 Michele Rizzo, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini (captain), 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 5 Josh Furno, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 7 Francesco Minto, 8 Samuela Vunisa
Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Matias Aguero, 18 Martin Castrogiovanni, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Mauro Bergamasco, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Michele Campagnaro.
