Italy v Australia, Florence, November 20
Gori handed surprise Italy debut
ESPNscrum Staff
November 18, 2010
Edoardo Gori will start for Italy against Australia © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Edoardo Gori | Nick Mallett
Tournaments/Tours: Australia tour
Teams: Australia | Italy

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Italy boss Nick Mallett has handed a surprise debut to 20-year-old scrum-half Edoardo Gori for their clash with Australia in Florence on Saturday.

The Treviso No.9 is yet to make his debut in either the Magners League or Heineken Cup due to injury but has beaten the experienced Pablo Canavosio to a starting berth against the Wallabies. Aironi's Tito Tebaldi has been jettisoned to link up with Italy 'A'.

Gori starts in tandem with Brive fly-half Luciano Orquera following an injury to Australian-born playmaker Craig Gower while Alberto Sgarbi is called into the midfield.

Mallett has also shuffled his deck up front, with hooker Fabio Ongaro replacing Leonardo Ghiraldini, Andrea Lo Cicero in at loose-head for Salvatore Perugini and flanker Paul Derbyshire named in the back-row ahead of Roberto Barbieri.

The Azzurri are again without flanker Mauro Bergamasco, who has returned to Paris after failing to overcome a shoulder injury.

Italy: L McLean (Benetton Treviso); T Benvenuti (Benetton Treviso), G Canale (Clermont Auvergne), A Sgarbi (Benetton Treviso), M Bergamasco (Racing Metro), L Orquera (Brive), E Gori (Benetton Treviso), A Lo Cicero (Racing Metro), F Ongaro (Aironi), M Castrogiovanni (Leicester), C del Fava (Aironi), Q Geldenhuys (Aironi), P Derbyshire (Benetton Treviso), A Zanni (Benetton Treviso), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt)

Replacements: C Festuccia (Racing Metro),L Cittadini (Benetton Treviso), S Dellape (Racing Metro), R Barbieri (Benetton Treviso), P Canavosio (Aironi), R Bocchino (Aironi), A Masi (Racing Metro)

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