The absence of Diego Dominguez is of course a blow to us and we will miss his experience on the field. But Ramiro (Pez) is a good player as well and this match represents an opportunity for him to show us what he is capable of.

We must play a bit more defensively in this match but we must not forget that England must also produce a good performance in this match.

If they don't play well against Italy it will be bad for them as they prepare to play Ireland, it could hurt their morale and that could play into our hands.

This season I have been very impressed by Alessandro Troncon who has controlled his temperament this season.

The flankers have been a bonus too with Andrea De Rossi excellent in attack in both matches while Aaron Persico has also made a big improvement too.

Mauro Bergamasco is proving he can play anywhere - he really is like a joker in cards - you can play him where you want him to. I think Italy have to decide where to play him on a match-to-match basis.

Italy have made a big leap forward in the time since we joined the tournament. The second year (in the Six Nations) was difficult but now we are beginning to make progress because we are playing top-quality opponents on a regular basis.