Italy hope for family fortunes

Most international teams take the view that one Bergamasco is quite enough to be going on with, in light of the Mighty Mauro's staggering performances at Test level since breaking into the Italian side five years ago. This Sunday, however, England will find themselves contending with two of the blighters. Mirco Bergamasco, the great man's kid brother, will start at full-back when the Azzurri pitch up at Twickenham for the third round of Six Nations matches – a game they rather fancy, despite the overwhelming likelihood of a handsome red rose victory.

The younger Bergamasco, who turned 20 last month, joins the increasingly happy Italian throng as a result of the thigh injury suffered by Cristian Stoica during a French club match last weekend. Stoica's place at outside centre will be taken by the gifted Paolo Vaccari, who played full-back against both Wales and Ireland. The reshuffle means both Bergamascos will feature in the back three following the decision of John Kirwan, the coach, to move Mauro from open-side flanker, where he generally operates at world-class level, to the right wing, where his attempts to impersonate Jonah Lomu have not quite hit the spot.

As expected, Ramiro Pez of Rotherham – oh, the grandeur of Six Nations rugby – replaces the ailing Diego Dominguez at outside-half. Unexpectedly, Marco Bortolami has been left on the bench. One of the star turns in last year's championship, the young line-out specialistcaptained Italy in New Zealand last summer, but has been struggling with a virus and makes way for the grizzled veteran, Mark Giacheri. He too plays for Rotherham, so the bells will be ringing in south Yorkshire.

Kirwan, a former All Black wing of considerable repute, has been picking a few brains in an attempt to lay a trap that might prevent England extending their total domination of these fixtures at Twickenham: 237 points against not very many in four matches stretching back to the 1991 World Cup. One of those thinkers is Eddie Jones, the Wallaby coach, who attended an Italian training session earlier this week. "I get a good input from meetings like that," Kirwan said. "England are undoubtedly the best team in the world at the moment, but Eddie knows them well."

England's two minor injury worries eased yesterday when both Josh Lewsey and Robbie Morris were declared fit. This was a serious relief, Morris being the only tight-head prop still standing after the withdrawals of Phil Vickery and Julian White, and Lewsey being desperate to make a first Test appearance on home soil after winning caps from Dunedin and Cape Town to Markham and San Francisco.

"It is a great thing to be capped abroad, but it is not quite the same as running out at Twickenham," the full-back said yesterday before dismissing any suggestion that he might attempt to emulate the attacking style of his predecessor in the No 15 shirt, the injured Jason Robinson. "Jason has dancing feet – he is like John Travolta," Lewsey said. "I wouldn't count myself in the same bracket. I offer something different, something more classical." Thank you, Nijinsky.

In Paris, the French Rugby Federation's disciplinary committee decided not to punish Pieter de Villiers, the prop who tested positive for traces of cocaine and ecstasy in December, because the random check did not comply with sports ministry guidelines. De Villiers will not play in the Six Nations, but will travel to the World Cup unless the International Rugby Board intervenes.