Campagnaro gets Sandy Park bow

Exeter Chiefs newcomer Michele Campagnaro will get his first taste of rugby action at Sandy Park when he lines up for Italy in their final Pool D match of this year’s Rugby World Cup against Romania at Sandy Park tomorrow (2:30pm).

Head coach Jacques Brunel has made just two changes to the starting line-up that lost 16-9 to Ireland last Sunday.

After making his comeback from injury in the Ireland match, captain Sergio Parisse drops out of the match-day 23, and is replaced in the back row by Alessandro Zanni.

In the absence of 114-test Parisse, the starting line-up has a total of 576 caps, the lowest for Italy in a RWC since the run-on team (533) in the 31-5 win over Portugal at RWC 2007.

In terms of average age, at 27 years 201 days it is also Italy’s youngest RWC starting XV since RWC 2007 and the 18-16 final pool-match defeat by Scotland (27 years, 133 days).

Without Parisse and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini, who still has not recovered from a thigh muscle injury, lock Quintin Geldenhuys will take over as captain.