November Test Preview: Ireland v Italy

Rhys Ruddock will captain Ireland for the fifth time as the Grand Slam champions kick off their season with a Stateside clash with Six Nations and Rugby World Cup 2019 rivals Italy, as part of the Rugby Weekend in Chicago.

THE RUGBY WEEKEND – NOVEMBER TEST: Saturday, November 3

IRELAND v ITALY, Soldier Field, Chicago, 3pm local time/8pm Irish time (live eir Sport 2/Premier Sports/eir Sport YouTube ChannelIRFU Live Blog)

Team News: For their return to Soldier Field, the scene of their historic 2016 win over New Zealand, Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has named a youthful team to play Italy in the first of four Test matches this month.

Flanker Rhys Ruddock takes the captaincy reins for the fifth time in the career, looking to maintain his 100% record as skipper, with the starting XV showing ten changes to the side that secured 2-1 series win over Australia in Sydney in June.

Backs Bundee Aki and Jacob Stockdale, front rowers Jack McGrath and Niall Scannell and number 8 Jack Conan are the players to back from the summer tour’s third Test, as Schmidt and his fellow coaches take the opportunity to test the squad depth and try some new combinations.

There are first starts for full-back Jordan Larmour, a World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year nominee, and Tadhg Beirne who forms a new second row partnership with Connacht’s Quinn Roux. Luke McGrath makes his second start for Ireland, teaming up with his Leinster colleague Joey Carbery at half-back.

It will be a third Test outing for the centre pairing of Aki and Garry Ringrose, while Josh van der Flier returns to international rugby for the first time since suffering a serious knee ligament injury against France last February. He features in an all-Leinster back row with Ruddock and Conan.

The 27-year-old Ruddock, who captained Ireland during the 2017 summer tour and against Fiji last November, is one of only two starters with more than 15 caps to their name. The other is loosehead McGrath who will play his 54th Test in Chicago.

The replacements bench contains two uncapped players in Leinster out-half Ross Byrne, who toured with the Ireland squad in Australia a few months ago, and versatile Ulster back Will Addison who was invited into camp by Schmidt to train during the tour Down Under.

Meanwhile, the selected Italy team will be captained by Exeter Chiefs centre Michele Campagnaro for the first time in his 35th Test. He leads a side that contains eight players from Benetton Rugby and six from Zebre, whose flanker Johan Meyer makes his debut at blindside.

The Azzurri’s head coach Conor O’Shea, who played 35 times for Ireland between 1993 and 2000, has also selected inexperienced full-back Luca Sperandio and number 8 Renato Giammarioli for their third appearances at Test level.

Dubliner and former Leinster out-half Ian McKinley, who did not make Italy’s matchday 23 when the sides met at the Aviva Stadium during the 2018 Six Nations, is set to be involved off the bench, and the Auckland-born Jimmy Tuivaiti is in line for his debut.

With the likes of Leonardo Ghiraldhini, Alessandro Zanni and long-serving captain Sergio Parisse missing, Italy’s starting line-up has only 231 caps. O’Shea’s men finished bottom of the Six Nations table last season, but ended an eight-match losing run when they defeated Japan 25-22 in Kobe in June.

IRELAND: Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster); Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), Jacob Stockdale (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Munster), Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Niall Scannell (Dolphin/Munster), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Quinn Roux (Galwegians/Connacht), Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (capt), Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster).

Replacements: Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster), Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Ulster), John Cooney (Terenure College/Ulster), Ross Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Will Addison (Enniskillen/Ulster).

ITALY: Luca Sperandio (Benetton Rugby); Mattia Bellini (Zebre), Michele Campagnaro (Exeter Chiefs) (capt), Luca Morisi (Benetton Rugby), Giulio Bisegni (Zebre); Carlo Canna (Zebre), Tito Tebaldi (Benetton Rugby); Nicola Quaglio (Benetton Rugby), Luca Bigi (Benetton Rugby), Tiziano Pasquali (Benetton Rugby), Marco Fuser (Benetton Rugby), George Biagi (Zebre), Johan Meyer (Zebre), Braam Steyn (Benetton Rugby), Renato Giammarioli (Zebre).

Replacements: Oliviero Fabiani (Zebre), Cherif Traore (Benetton Rugby), Giosuè Zilocchi (Zebre), Marco Lazzaroni (Benetton Rugby), Federico Ruzza (Benetton Rugby), Jimmy Tuivaiti (Zebre), Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre), Ian McKinley (Benetton Rugby).

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Romain Poite, Alexandre Ruiz (both France)
Television Match Official: David Ardrey (USA)

Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ireland to win: 1/80; Draw: 75/1; Italy to win: 22/1

Pre-Match Quotes: Joe Schmidt (Ireland) – “Rhys has had some real frustrations with injury. He was really impressive during the GUINNESS Series last November and led the team superbly in Japan the summer before that. He is a workaholic on the pitch and prepares incredibly well off it, so he’s an ideal leader in the absence of Rory (Best), Pete (O’Mahony) and Johnny (Sexton).

“Like any of the replacements, I think the coaching group are really looking forward to seeing the players off the bench slot into the team as seamlessly as possible and for them to bring the strengths of their provincial form to the game on Saturday.

“Ross (Byrne) manages the game well, kicks and passes well but he’s also playing and carrying the ball with increasing confidence, which is what you want to see – players growing their game.

“Playing for Ulster, Will (Addison) has shown the acceleration and footwork that we know he has. His versatility is a real asset off the bench and his passing and kicking skills make him a threat when carrying or transferring the ball. He slotted in well when he trained with us in Melbourne and we’re looking forward to seeing him bring that onto the pitch in Chicago.”

Ian McKinley (Italy) – “I suppose the biggest thing is to just take it as another game. People will say that it can’t be like that, but it has to be. This isn’t about me, this is about the team and putting the performance we had against Ireland in the Six Nations right. Even just to get to play in Chicago in this stadium, it’s unbelievable. Even just to be in that is pretty cool.

“We’re here to do a job. Romantic stories can be done later on. Listen, you have to embrace everything as well. I can’t be robotic about it because that would be incorrect but you embrace it, you acknowledge it and hopefully that brings out emotions as well, but you have to make sure that you are in control of them.

“Even in the Six Nations, I was standing on the sideline and the Irish anthem was playing but I only sang the Italian one. My loyalty is there for the time being but I don’t give that sort of thing a huge amount of thought. Those emotions come to me as I feel.”

Pre-Match Videos –

Recent Meetings –

2016: RBS 6 Nations: Ireland 58 Italy 15, Aviva Stadium

2017: RBS 6 Nations: Italy 10 Ireland 63, Stadio Olimpico

2018: NatWest 6 Nations: Ireland 56 Italy 19, Aviva Stadium

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