Italy coach Pierre Berbizier has sprung a slight surprise in selecting Salvatore Perugini at prop instead of Andrea Lo Cicero for Saturday's Six Nations opener against France.
Lo Cicero had impressed in the autumn Tests while Toulouse star Perugini served a five-week ban for a headbutting incident in a Heineken Cup game against Ulster last October.
But Berbizier has preferred the experience of the 28-year-old who shone in the pack for the Azzurri in last year's Six Nations campaign.
The Frenchman has also demoted Ramiro Pez to the bench, opting instead to partner the 33-year-old Andrea Scanavacca at halfback alongside the New Zealand-born Paul Griffen, who was also guilty of some sloppy performances in the autumn.
Pez was guilty of some erratic play in the autumn and seems now to be second-favourite to Scanavacca, whose kicking ability clinched his selection.
"Scanavacca is a two-footed player. That could be an advantage for us," coach Pierre Berbizier told a news conference.
"(Roland) De Marigny's also a good kicker. How well we play the ball from the back will be one of the keys to this match. We can't win the game with just the pack."
Former captain Alessandro Troncon had a surprise recall to the party after two years not playing for the national team and has been named as a replacement.
Italy open their seventh Six Nations campaign at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome, at 1.30pm on Saturday.
Berbizier believes his compatriots have more talent at their disposal than he does but says that can "create difficulties.
""Quality players need a run of games to play at their best," he added.
Italy- 15-Roland De Marigny; 14-Denis Dallan, 13-Gonzalo Canale, 12-Mirco Bergamasco, 11-Andrea Masi; 10-Andrea Scanavacca, 9-Paul Griffen; 8-Sergio Parisse, 7-Mauro Bergamasco, 6-Josh Sole, 5-Marco Bortolami, 4-Santiago Dellape, 3-Carlos Nieto, 2-Fabio Ongaro, 1-Salvatore Perugini
Replacements: 16-Carlo Festuccia, 17-Andrea Lo Cicero, 18-Martin Leandro Castrogiovanni, 19-Roberto Mandelli, 20-Alessandro Troncon, 21-Ramiro Pez, 22-Kaine Robertson
