Hayward handed Italy debut against Fiji

Hayward, 30, moved to Treviso after a spell with the Western Force in Australia and is now qualified to play for Italy through residency.

Hayward handed Italy debut against Fiji

(Reuters)

The 27-year-old McKinley lost the sight in his left eye six years ago, which forced him to retire.

He has since resurrected his career, wearing protective goggles, in Italy for whom he became eligible at the beginning of the year.

Wing Mattia Bellini makes his return after 18 months out with a knee ligament injury while uncapped Giovanni Licata and Matteo Minozzi get a chance for a first cap off the bench.

Captain Sergio Parisse, veteran of 126 caps, returns after sitting out the tour in June where Italy played tests against the Australia, Scotland and Fiji.

Italy were beaten 22-19 by Fiji in their meeting in Suva.

Team: 15-Jayden Hayward, 14-Leonardo Sarto, 13-Tommaso Boni, 12-Tomasso Castello, 11-Mattia Bellini, 10-Carlo Canna, 9-Marcello Violi, 8-Sergio Parisse (captain), 7-Abraham Steyn, 6-Francesco Minto, 5-Dean Budd, 4-Marco Fuser, 3-Simone Ferrari, 2-Luca Bigi, 1-Andrea Lovotti

Replacements: 16-Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17-Federico Zani, 18-Dario Chistolini, 19-Marco Lazzaroni, 20-Giovanni Licara, 21-Edoardo Gori, 22-Ian McKinley, 23-Matteo Minozzi.

(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Alison Williams and Toby Davis)


Share

1 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world