Italy have selected Giacomo Da Re at flyhalf and three debutants on the bench against South Africa in Pretoria on Saturday, naming a side missing several regulars as coach Gonzalo Quesada looks to widen his talent pool at Loftus Versfeld.
Lock Niccolo Cannone will lead the team with tour captain Giacomo Nicotera missing out following a rib injury sustained in training. Loose forward Sebastian Negri, who spent much of his childhood in South Africa, also misses out with a niggle.
Da Re will add to his three caps as part of a halfback pairing with Alessandro Fusco, while Marco Zanon and Tommaso Menoncello are the two centres. Wings Simone Gesi and Louis Lynagh make up the back three with fullback Jacopo Trulla.
Hooker Tommaso Di Bartolomeo will pack down in the front row of the scrum with Danilo Fischetti and Simone Ferrari, while Cannone plays alongside fellow lock Andrea Zambonin, who returns from a long injury lay-off.
The back row of the scrum features number eight Lorenzo Cannone and flankers Alessandro Izekor and Manuel Zuliani.
Hooker Pablo Dimcheff, prop Matteo Canali and flanker David Odiase are all due to make their debuts off the bench after Quesada selected a 6-2 split between forwards and backs among his replacements.
South Africa have won 15 of their 16 tests against Italy and last hosted their opponents in 2013. The single Italian success came in the autumn of 2016 when they won 20-18 in Florence.
Italy team:
15-Jacopo Trulla, 14-Louis Lynagh, 13-Tommaso Menoncello, 12-Marco Zanon, 11-Simone Gesi, 10-Giacomo Da Re, 9-Alessandro Fusco, 8-Lorenzo Cannone, 7-Manuel Zuliani, 6-Alessandro Izekor, 5-Andrea Zambonin, 4-Niccolo Cannone (captain), 3-Simone Ferrari, 2-Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1-Danilo Fischetti
Replacements: 16-Pablo Dimcheff, 17-Mirco Spagnolo, 18-Muhamed Hasa, 19-Matteo Canali, 20-Ross Vintcent, 21-David Odiase, 22-Alessandro Garbisi, 23-Giulio Bertaccini.
