Iain Henderson scores Ireland’s second try against Canada in a 50-7 win.Andrew Boyers/Reuters
Kieran Crowley has made six changes to his starting lineup against Italy as Canada looks to bounce back from a lopsided opening loss to Ireland at the Rugby World Cup.
Both Canada, ranked 18th in the world, and No. 15 Italy are 0-1-0 after weekend losses. Despite some good patches of play, the Canadians were put to the sword 50-7 by No. 5 Ireland while an inconsistent Italy was beaten 32-10 by No. 7 France.
With three games in 11 days, Crowley has to manage his squad although Rugby Canada calls Saturday's lineup the strongest available.
Injuries have robbed Crowley of three backs with fly half Liam Underwood out for the tournament with a chipped bone in his leg. Scrum half Gord McRorie (shoulder) and winger Jeff Hassler (calf) sit out with minor injuries.
One of the Canadian tournament goals is securing automatic qualification for the next World Cup, which can be achieved by finishing third in its pool. Crowley has said that means two wins, with No. 15 Italy and No. 17 Romania the likeliest targets.
That won't be easy.
The Canadians are 2-5-0 against Italy, which has won the last four meetings between the two. Canada's wins came in 1983 and 2000.
Sky Bet has Canada as an 8-1 underdog, meaning a $100 bet will return a profit of $800. The Italians are a 1-16 favourite, with a $100 wager netting you $106.25 in total. The point spread is 17 points in favour of Italy.
Canada is boosted by the return of captain Tyler Ardron, who strained his medial collateral ligament July 29 against Samoa.
"He's a very athletic player ... We're expecting him to contribute around the field," said Crowley. "It's his first game back for a little while so he's probably going to be a little bit rusty but certainly we're expecting an impact from him. He's chomping at the bit."
The lanky forward should help the Canadians take on the physical Italians in the scrum and lineout at Elland Road in Leeds, England.
"If we can combat that and match that, I think we'll be in with a better than a good chance, even," Ardron said.
He is joined in the back row by fellow newcomer Nanyak Dala and incumbent John Moonlight as Crowley opts to go with two open-side flankers. Crowley believes the duo will help Canada blunt Italy's drive.
Forward Jebb Sinclair moves from the bench to join Jamie Cudmore in a vastly experienced, physical lock pairing.
Canada sticks with a front row of Hubert Buydens, Ray Barkwill and Doug Wooldridge against an Italian pack that was dominated by the French.
Aaron Carpenter and Kyle Gilmour shift to the bench while lock Brett Beukeboom drops out of the matchday 23.
Jamie Mackenzie comes for McRorie at scrum half, with brother Phil Mackenzie retaining his spot on the wing.
The Mackenzies are set to become the first set of Canadian brothers to start a World Cup match together. Props Mike and Dan Pletch played in all of Canada's games at the 2007 World Cup but came off the bench each time.
The Mackenzies are one of 10 brother pairings at this year's tournament.
Connor Braid comes in for centre Nick Blevins. Harry Jones, who had been nursing a shoulder injury, starts on the bench. Nathan Hirayama remains at fly half, taking over kicking duties from McRorie.
For Italy, reserve flanker Mauro Bergamasco can become only the second player to feature at five Rugby World Cups. The 36-year-old Bergamasco, who first played in the tournament in 1999, would tie the record of Samoa winger Brian Lima.
The Italians have made four changes from the team beaten by France.
Gonzalo Garcia and Tommaso Benvenuti replace Andrea Masi, who sustained a tournament-ending Achilles injury against France, and the benched Michele Campagnaro at centre. Props Matias Aguero and Martin Castrogiovanni drop out for Michele Rizzo and Lorenzo Cittadini.