Rugby Six Nations, the blue challenge Ireland

PARMA – Younger and more determined than ever, the Italrugby girls face Ireland in the third round of the Six Nations on Saturday: the one scheduled at the Lanfranchi stadium in Parma (5.45 pm, live on Sky Sport Arena and Now) is a doubly delicate match , because the Azzurri are returning from the (inevitable) defeats against France and England, which also cost some injuries. Compared to the last match in Northampton, captain Elisa Giordano, full-back Vittoria Ostuni-Minuzzi and Silvia Turani will be missing. Two rookies: Laura Gurioli and Alyssa Ranuccini, who start from a bench on which mostly forwards sit (6) and only 2 three-quarters. There’s good reason to believe it will be a close battle mostly from the scrum, but the hope is that the 8 players up front will be able to supply quality balls for our fast forward line.

Sofia Stefan: “Fundamental match, what pressure”

The captain’s armband goes to Sofia Stefan: “An honor and a responsibility,” says the blue scrum-half. “There’s great pressure because winning this match will be fundamental: we will respond as a group. Ireland play a lot physically, in attack and defence: we have to respond by making few fouls, keeping possession of the oval and trying to take advantage of the wide spaces” . Confirmed winger Aura Muzzo: “We’ll start from the first minute with the desire to express our game, and to dare. It will be a difficult challenge, because they too are returning from two defeats. They beat us last year, it’s time to take a revenge”.

Aura Muzzo: “We have an identity, we dare”

Confirmed the first 5 of the package, in the third row Giada Franco will wear the shirt with the number 8, flanked by Isabella Locatelli and Francesca Sgorbini. Median entrusted to Stefan and Madia, in the enlarged triangle the full back is Beatrice Capomaggi, the wings Aura Muzzo and Alyssa d’Incà. In between, the confirmed centers Beatrice Rigoni and Michela Sillari. Ireland coached by Greg McWilliams addresses the match calling it “another tough challenge for us against a team that reached the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup. It’s a match that gives us the opportunity to continue our development at the test-match level”.

Italy: Capomaggi – Muzzo, Sillari, Rigoni, D’Incà – Madia, Stefan – Franco, Locatelli, Sgorbini – Duke, Tounesi – Gai, Vecchini, Maris. Subs: Stecca, 17 Alice Cassaghi, Seye, Fedrighi, Gurioli, Ranuccini, Barattin, Stevanin

Ireland: Delany – Doyle, Dalton, McGann, Behan – O’Brien, Hughes – Nic a Bháird, Moore, Wall – Monaghan, Fryday – Haney, Jones, Djougang. Subs: Nielson, McGrath, Buggy, O’Connor, Hogan, Scuffil-McCabe, Irwin, Deely