"We want to go home with at least one win under our belts. We expect a tough game from Ireland because they want to win a game as well but we hope to be better than we were against Wales," he said.

"The players are working hard during the training sessions and we want to win so it will be good to get the match underway."

ITALY UNDER-18 TEAM & REPLACEMENTS (v Ireland U-18 Schools, 2008 U-18 Six Nations Festival, Tuesday, April 1, Cork Institute of Technology, kick-off 2.30pm):

15 - Marcello Paglia (Rugby Noceto FC)

14 - Francesco Lenzi (Cavalieri)

13 - Costantino Ricciardi (Petrarca)

12 - Tommaso Benvenuti (Viadana)

11 - Nicola Belardo (Partenope)

10 - Filippo Michelini (Viadana)

9 - Alberto Chillon (Petrarca)

1 - Matteo Zamparo (Amatori San Dona)

2 - Andrea Manici (Gran Parma)

3 - Edoardo Carugi (Montepaschi Viadana)

4 - Filippo Cazzola (Montebelluna)

5 - Paolo Stinchello (SSD Unione Capitolina)

6 - Filippo Ferrarini (Noceto FC)

7 - Gabriele Cicchinelli (SSD Unione Capitolina)

8 - Lorenzo Santelli (ASD Universita Cosenza).

Replacements:

16 - Enrico Lioineri (Ruggers Tarvisum)

17 - Nicola Corbanese (Bennetton Treviso)

18 - Antonio Denti (Viadana)

19 - Daniele Fratalochhi (Sambendettese)

20 - Marco Barbino (Petraca)

21 - Tommaso Bergonzini (Viadana)

22 - Edoardo Gori (Cavalieri)

23 - Giovanno Frapporti (Valpolicella)

24 - Giovanbattista Venditti (SSD Unione Capitolina)