Zebre Team Announcement

The Italian north-west club will face the only opponent who the white & black boys have beaten in an away game, last September at the Arms Park in the Welsh capital city. The final score, 30-25, was the first ever win for Zebre in their history thanks to the great performance of scrum-half Brendon Leonard, who scored a try and deserved the award for the man of the match of the Round 3 fixture.

Leonard will pair in the halves with another New Zealander Kelly Haimona, one of the five permit players who joins the Zebre roster from Italian side Rugby Calvisano, which takes part into the main italian league Eccellenza. The other two of them will be part of the stating line-up: South African flanker Steyn and former Aironi hooker Ferraro, 11 caps in the Pro12 in the season 2010/11.

The two youngest of the permit player delegation will be ready to earn their first ever Celtic cap starting from the bench: hooker Panico -former member of the National Italian Rugby Union Academy "Ivan Francescato"- and utility back Castello.

Zebre welcomes the return of flanker Ferrarini who missed the last two games due to an injury and three of the eight internationals capped by Italy for the last two rounds of the RBS Six Nations: prop Aguero, Fly-half Orquera and center Iannone.

Here's Zebre line-up for Saturday 1 March 2014 at Stadio XXV Aprile in Parma (Italy) for the 16nd round of the RaboDirect PRO12 against Cardiff Blues. Kick off at 4.00 pm local time :

15 Guglielmo PALAZZANI
14 Giulio TONIOLATTI
13 Kameli RATUVOU
12 Tommaso IANNONE*
11 Giovanbattista VENDITTI*
10 Kelli HAIMONA
9 Brendon LEONARD

8 Samuela VUNISA
7 Abraham STEYN
6 Filippo FERRARINI
5 George BIAGI
4 Andries VAN SCHALKWYK (cap)
3 Dario CHISTOLINI
2 Luigi FERRARO
1 Salvatore PERUGINI

Replacements :

16 Sami PANICO*
17 Matias AGUERO
18 David RYAN
19 Filippo CAZZOLA*
20 Emiliano CAFFINI*
21 Luciano ORQUERA
22 Tommaso CASTELLO
23 Ruggero TREVISAN*

All.Andrea CAVINATO

Not available for selection due to injury: Mauro BERGAMASCO, Paolo BUSO, Nicola CATTINA, Filippo CRISTIANO, Tommaso D'APICE*, Andrea MANICI*, Matteo PRATICHETTI, Roberto QUARTAROLI*, Luca REDOLFINI

Referee: Gary Conway (Irish Rugby Football Union , 1st competition game)

Assistant Referees: Marius Mitrea e Claudio Blessano (Both Federazione Italiana Rugby)

TMO: Mauro Dordolo (Federazione Italiana Rugby)

Live tv coverage in Italy on Mediaset Italia 2. Live score text coverage on www.rabodirectpro12.com/live