Italy will filed uncapped 20-year-old flyhalf Paolo Garbisi against Ireland in their Six Nations clash in Dublin on Saturday, less than a month after his debut in the PRO14 competition.
Garbisi joined Benetton as a permit player in June and has started both of their PRO14 matches of the new season, scoring 14 points against Ulster in Belfast at the start of the month.
The Under-20 international forms a new-look halfback partnership with scrumhalf Marcello Violi, who returns after missing last year's World Cup in Japan.
Coach Franco Smith on Thursday also named two uncapped players on the bench in hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi and utility back Federico Mori.
"It is a good feeling to return to work. I have seen the team grow slowly over the last months since the resumption of playing after the lockdown and now I cannot wait to see them on the pitch," said Smith as he announced his selection for the resumption of the Six Nations after the COVID-19 hiatus.
"We have a young team with players who have a great desire to prove their worth and win a regular place. Their difficult challenge is to confirm that they can continue to wear the national team jersey in the future," he added.
Italy host England on Oct. 31 in their final match of the delayed Six Nations and will participate in next month’s Autumn Nations Cup against Scotland, Fiji and France.
Team:
15-Jayden Hayward, 14-Edoardo Padovani, 13-Luca Morisi, 12-Carlo Canna, 11-Mattia Bellini, 10-Paolo Garbisi, 9-Marcello Violi, 8-Jake Polledri, 7-Braam Steyn, 6-Sebastian Negri, 5-Niccolo Cannone, 4-Marco Lazzaroni, 3-Giosue Zilocchi, 2-Luca Bigi, 1-Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: 16-Gianmarco Lucchesi, 17-Simone Ferrari, 18-Pietro Ceccarelli, 19-David Sisi, 20-Johan Meyer, 21-Maxime Mbanda, 22-Callub Braley, 23-Federico Mori.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
