Turin - Italy coach Nick Mallett has changed two of his front row for his team's clash on Saturday with Argentina, a side famous for its powerful pack of forwards and destructive scrum.
Hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini, who captained the team during its summer tour to South Africa and Argentina, and loose-head prop Salvatore Perugini make way for the Saracens pair of Fabio Ongaro and Matias Aguero.
Mallett made a similar swap early in the second half of Italy's 30-20 loss to Australia when the front row was struggling to impose their superiority in the scrum.
It was a move that paid off and allowed Italy to work their way back into the match to the extent that with 10 minutes to go and the scores tied at 20-20, they appeared the team most likely to win.
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But with a front row including the fearsome Mario Ledesma and Rodrigo Roncero, Mallett clearly realises that he will need his front row to gain the upper hand from the first scrum engagement.
Ongaro is the only starting front row player who was not born in Argentina.
The selection of three front-row players on the bench shows that Mallett is expecting a bruising encounter in the engine room. Alongside Ghiraldini and Perugini sits a second prop, the veteran Sicilian Andrea Lo Cicero.
Mallett told reporters: "For a match such as this one against Argentina, having extra front players is a necessity. To be able to count on two complete front rows improves our chances for Saturday's test match.
"I decided to gamble on the front row. All the props and both hookers called up for this test will be on the pitch or on the bench at the Stadio Olimpico."
Mallett's other change is in the three-quarters where Matteo Pratichetti replaces the injured Gonzalo Canale, and lines up alongside his Calvisano centre partner Gonzalo Garcia.
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