ITALY V WALES at Millennium Stadium, 1.2.2014 (14:30)
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ITALY v WALES at Millennium Stadium, 1.2.2014 (14:30) Head coach Jacques Brunel names new cap, 20 year old Angelo Esposito on the right wing, and hands RBS 6 Nations Championship debuts to fellow backs Tommaso Allan, Leonardo Sarto and Michele Campagnaro. Marco Bortolami becomes only the fifth Italian, and the third in this pack to gain a century of caps. The XV has 702 test caps between them; the bench has a further 136 caps. Incredibly the pack account for 84% of the total caps in the team The average age of the walk-on team is 27.8 years; the average on the bench is almost 28. Nineteen of the side play their rugby in Italy and the other four in the Top-14 in France, whilst just over half of the matchday squad play for Benetton Treviso. AGE & EXPERIENCE 110 Total caps 40 100 6NC caps Age 90 35 80 70 30 60 Caps Age 50 25 40 30 20 20 10 0 15 Gori (9) Gori Rizzo (1) Rizzo Zanni (6) Zanni Allan (10) Allan Sarto (11) Sarto Minto (20) Minto Botes (21) Botes Furno (19) Furno Parisse (8) Parisse Sgarbi (12) Sgarbi McLean (15) McLean Cittadini (18) Cittadini Iannone (23) Iannone Ghiraldini (2) Ghiraldini (5) Bortolami Giazzon (16) Giazzon Orquera (22) Orquera Esposito (14) Esposito de Marchi (17) Marchi de Geldenhuys (4) Geldenhuys Bergamasco (7) Bergamasco Campagnaro (13) Campagnaro Castrogiovanni (3) Castrogiovanni (1) MICHELE RIZZO TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Benetton Treviso Overall 11 6 5 - - - 4 - 7 Born: 16.9.1982 (31) in Dolo,VE (Italy) RBS 6 Nations 2 1 1 - - - 1 - 1 Ht: 1.88m (6'2") Wt: 114kg (17st 13lb) v Wales - - - - - - - - - Position: Prop @ Millennium Std - - - - - - - - - Test debut: 25.6.2005 v Australia (Melbourne) Italy 2013 5 3 2 - - - 2 - 3 RBS 6N debut: 25.2.2012 v Ireland (Dublin) PRO12 2013/14 9 8 1 1 - - 2 1 6 FACTBOX: HC 2013/14 6 4 2 - - - - - 6 Club pro debuts: 2000-01 Padova, 2009-10 Treviso Won the Italian Championship final 2010 with Treviso Represented Italy U21 in the 2002 & 2003 Six Nations Made debut for Italy A v France A in 2004, has now played 12 times for Italy A, including the Nations Cup in Lisbon 2006, and Bucharest 2007 & 2009 Test debut came on tour to Australia June 2005, had to wait almost 3 years for his second cap, against the Springboks in South Africa June 2008, then almost another four years before his 3rd cap coincided with his RBS 6 Nations debut. His only two RBS 6 Nations appearances have both been against Ireland, in 2012 and 2013. Started all three of Italy's autumn internationals on the loosehead Compiled by (2) LEONARDO GHIRALDINI TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Benetton Treviso Overall 59 47 12 5 4 20 14 - 45 Born: 26.12.1984 (29) in Padova (Italy) RBS 6 Nations 28 26 2 1 - - 5 - 23 Ht: 1.80m (5'11") Wt: 103kg (16st 3lb) v Wales 6 6 - 1 - - - - 6 Position: Hooker @ Millennium Std 3 3 - - - - - - 3 Test debut: 11.6.2006 v Japan (Tokyo) Italy 2013 11 9 2 - - - 3 - 8 RBS 6N debut: 17.3.2007 v Ireland (Roma) PRO12 2013/14 4 4 - - - - 1 1 2 FACTBOX: HC 2013/14 3 3 - - - - - - 3 Club pro debuts: 2003-04 Padova, 2005-06 Calvisano, 2009-10 Treviso Italian Championship finalist with Calvisano in 2006, skippered them to success in 2008 final, and won another crown with Benetton Treviso two years later Made his Italy A debut against Tonga in 2005; also played for them in the IRB Nations Cup in Bucharest 2007 This is his 8th successive RBS 6 Nations campaign since his debut against Ireland in Rome in 2007, missing only two possible matches during that time Played in two RWC with Italy, 2007 and 2011, has played in each of Italy's last 14 tests ,12 as a starter. His 4 test tries to date have come against Argentina, Pacific Islanders, Japan and Tonga (3) MARTIN CASTROGIOVANNI TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Toulon Overall 101 78 23 1 12 60 29 1 71 Born: 21.10.1981 (32) in Parana (Argentina) RBS 6 Nations 49 36 13 - 5 25 7 1 41 Ht: 1.88m (6'2") Wt: 119kg (18st 9lb) v Wales 9 7 2 - 1 5 - 1 8 Position: Prop @ Millennium Std 4 3 1 - 1 5 - 1 3 Test debut: 8.6.2002 v New Zealand (Hamilton(NZ)) Italy 2013 10 9 1 - 1 5 2 - 8 RBS 6N debut: 22.2.2003 v Ireland (Roma) Top14 2013/14 12 5 7 - - - 5 1 6 FACTBOX: HC 2013/14 5 3 2 - - - 4 - 1 Club pro debuts: 2001-02 Calvisano, 2006-07 Leicester, 2013-14 Toulon Has been in four Premiership winning squads with Leicester in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2013 and a finalist with them in 2011 and 2012. Made his RBS 6 Nations debut v Ireland 2003, and has appeared in every tournament since. Is the world's most prolific try-scoring prop with 12, his most recent coming against France in round 1 last year Has appeared for Italy in three Rugby World Cups: skippered them for the first time during the two games on the North American tour summer 2012 and then against Wales in last year's RBS 6 Nations. Played in his 100th test against Fiji in Cremona last November (4) QUINTIN GELDENHUYS TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Zebre Overall 41 35 6 - - - 12 - 29 Born: 19.6.1981 (32) in Krugersdorp (S Africa) RBS 6 Nations 20 18 2 - - - 5 - 15 Ht: 2.03m (6'8") Wt: 124kg (19st 7lb) v Wales 4 3 1 - - - - - 4 Position: Lock @ Millennium Std 2 2 - - - - - - 2 Test debut: 13.6.2009 v Australia (Canberra) Italy 2013 8 6 2 - - - 3 - 5 RBS 6N debut: 6.2.2010 v Ireland (Dublin) PRO12 2013/14 8 8 - - - - 2 - 6 FACTBOX: HC 2013/14 4 4 - - - - - - 4 Club pro debuts: 2002 Sharks XV, 2003 Pumas, 2005-06 Viadana, 2010-11 Aironi, 2012-13 Zebre Made his first class debut for Natal in the Vodacom Cup, March 2002, going on to become a losing finalist later in the same year against Natal Wildebeest. World U21 Championship winner with South Africa in 2002. Appeared in three Italian Championship finals with Viadana in 2007, 2009, and 2010 when he was skipper, but lost them all (to Benetton Treviso) Made his way to Italy summer 2005 when signing for Viadana. Made his Italy A debut v Scotland in 2009, his test debut followed v Australia in Canberra June that year His RBS 6 Nations bow came in Italy's opening game of the 2010 tournament against Ireland at Croke Park. Has since played in every one of Italy's last 20 RBS 6 Nations matches, 18 as a starter Has yet to score a test try. Compiled by (5) MARCO BORTOLAMI TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Zebre Overall 99 86 13 3 7 35 28 1 70 Born: 12.6.1980 (33) in Padova (Italy) RBS 6 Nations 45 40 5 - 1 5 7 1 37 Ht: 1.95m (6'5") Wt: 112kg (17st 8lb) v Wales 10 8 2 - - - 2 1 7 Position: Lock @ Millennium Std 6 4 2 - - - - 1 5 Test debut: 23.6.2001 v Namibia (Windhoek) Italy 2013 5 4 1 - - - - - 5 RBS 6N debut: 2.2.2002 v France (Paris) PRO12 2013/14 11 11 - - 1 5 2 1 8 FACTBOX: HC 2013/14 5 4 1 - - - - - 5 Club pro debuts: 1999-00 Padova, 2004-05 Narbonne, 2006-07 Gloucester, 2010-11 Aironi, 2012-13 Zebre Started his senior rugby career with Petrarca Padova 1999, making his senior debut against Bologna in May 2000 EDF Cup finalist with Gloucester 2009 Has appeared at three Rugby Worlds Cups and is in line to become only the fifth Italian to gain a century of test caps Was captain throughout Italy's 2005, 2006 & 2007 RBS 6 Nations campaigns; skippered Italy A to 3rd place in their only appearance at the Churchill Cup summer 2011 in England Has recently broken a long try draught when he scored against Treviso in the PRO12 at Christmas, five years after his previous try which was for Gloucester at Calvisano in the European Cup (6) ALESSANDRO ZANNI TEST CAREER Caps Starts Rep SNU Try Pts W D L Team: Benetton Treviso Overall 80 61 19 - 3 15 24 1 55 Born: 31.1.1984 (30) in Udine (Italy) RBS 6 Nations 36 30 6 - 1 5 8 1 27 Ht: 1.93m (6'4") Wt: 107kg (16st 11lb) v Wales 8 6 2 - - - 1 1 6 Position: Flanker @ Millennium Std 4 2 2 - - - - 1 3 Test debut: 12.11.2005 v Tonga (Prato) Italy 2013 11 10 1 - 1 5 3 - 8 RBS 6N debut: 25.2.2006 v France (Paris) PRO12 2013/14 9 9 - - 2 10 3 1 5 FACTBOX: HC 2013/14 5 4 1 - - - - - 5 Club pro debuts: 2005-06 Calvisano, 2009-10 Treviso Won Italian Championship finals twice, with Calvisano 2008 and Treviso 2010 Represented Italy at U18, U19 and U21 levels, playing in the 2004 & 2005 U21 Six Nations, an ever present throughout both in back row Has played in the last 33 RBS 6 Nations games for Italy starting the last 27 in a row.