Franco Smith calls on experience for England clash

Italy head coach Franco Smith has called on the experience of Carlo Canna and Andrea Lovotti for Italy's clash with England at Twickenham.

The pair have been recalled to the starting XV after Italy opened their Six Nations campaign with a 50-10 defeat to France in Rome.

Canna is deployed at inside centre and along with loosehead prop Lovotti both having more international caps (48 and 43 respectively) than anyone else in the Azzurri starting line-up. Canna starts in place of the injured Marco Zanon, moving last week’s debutant Juan Ignacio Brex outside one position to No.13, while Lovotti will make his first international appearance in almost a year in place of Daniele Rimpelli – who drops out of the matchday 23 entirely.

There are no further changes to the starting XV but there are further changes on the bench with Tommaso Allan taking Canna's place while Fedrico Mori takes the 23 jersey with Maxime Mbanda dropping out of the side.

Italy team to face England in Round 2 of the 2021 Guinness Six Nations
15. Jacopo Trulla (Kawasaki Robot Calvisano, 4 caps)
14. Luca Sperandio (Benetton Rugby, 9 caps)
13. Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton Rugby, 1 cap)
12. Carlo Canna (Zebre Rugby Club, 48 caps)
11. Monty Ioane (Benetton Rugby, 2 caps)
10. Paolo Garbisi (Benetton Rugby, 6 caps)
9. Stephen Varney (Gloucester Rugby, 4 caps)
1. Andrea Lovotti (Zebre Rugby Club, 43 caps)
2. Luca Bigi (Zebre Rugby Club, 33 caps) – captain
3. Marco Riccioni (Benetton Rugby, 8 caps)
4. Marco Lazzaroni (Benetton Rugby, 12 caps)
5. David Sisi (Zebre Rugby Club, 12 caps)
6 Sebastian Negri (Benetton Rugby, 29 caps)
7. Johan Meyer (Zebre Rugby Club, 10 caps)
8. Michele Lamaro (Benetton Rugby, 3 caps)

Replacements:
16. Gianmarco Lucchesi (Benetton Rugby, 3 caps)
17. Danilo Fischetti (Zebre Rugby Club, 9 caps)
18. Giosuè Zilocchi (Zebre Rugby Club, 11 caps)
19. Niccolò Cannone (Benetton Rugby, 9 caps)
20. Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby, 20 caps)
21. Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre Rugby Club, 42 caps)
22. Tommaso Allan (Benetton Rugby, 60 caps)
23. Federico Mori (Kawasaki Robot Calvisano, 5 caps)