Biagi and his team mates will face the reigning champions of the Guinness PRO12 of Connacht aiming to grab their first victory against the Galway franchise, who have won in Parma in the previous six meetings.
The Zebre coaching staff can count on the return four athletes at their first seasonal cap: South Africans Minnie and Van Zyl, the Argentine prop Postiglioni and the Italian international winger Venditti.
The starting line-up sees a 100% Italian players with 14 internationals; only number 8 Ruzza hasn't been capped by Italy.
Here's Zebre line-up for Saturday, September 17 match at Stadio Lanfranchi in Parma for the 3rd round of the Guinness PRO12 against the Irish side of Connacht. Kick off at 6.05 pm local time:
15 Edoardo Padovani*
14 Gabriele Di Giulio*
13 Giulio Bisegni
12 Tommaso Boni*
11 Venditti Giovanbattista*
10 Carlo Canna
9 Guglielmo Palazzani
8 Federico Ruzza*
7 Maxime Mbandà*
6 Jacopo Sarto
5 George Biagi (cap)
4 Quintin Geldenhuys
3 Pietro Ceccarelli
2 Oliviero Fabiani
1 Andrea De Marchi
Replacements :
16 D'Apice Tommaso*
17 Postiglioni Bruno
18 Guillermo Roan / Dario Chistolini
19 Gideon Koegelenberg
20 Derick Minnie
21 Carlo Engelbrecht
22 Tommaso Castello
23 Kayle Van Zyl
Coach. Gianluca Guidi
*Former member of the Italian Rugby Union academy "Ivan Francescato" of Tirrenia.
Not available for selection due to injury: Kurt Baker, Mattia Bellini, Dion Berryman, Joshua Furno*, Lloyd Greeff, Andrea Manici*, Johan Meyer, Andries Van Schalkwyk, Marcello Violi*
Suspended: Andrea Lovotti*
Referee: Ian Davies (Welsh Rugby Union)
Assistant Referees: Adam Jones (Welsh Rugby Union)e Riccardo Angelucci (Federazione Italiana Rugby)
Live streaming in Italy with one camera, no commentary and no graphics on www.therugbychannel.it.
Guinness PRO12 Zebre News
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