Parisse To Become World’s 5th Most Capped Player on Friday

Sergio Parisse is to become the world’s 5th Most capped player on Friday. He is to do so for Italy who play away to France.

Not only is the match a rare Friday fixture but it is to also be played at a new venue. In breaking with tradition Paris will not host the match. It is instead to take place at the Stade Velodrome in Marseilles.

For the match Italian Head Coach Conor O’Shea has gone for three changes from the previous fixture. The changes see Andrea Lovotti, Leonardo Ghiraldini and Maxime Mbanda all given starts. They replace Nicola Quaglio, Luca Bigi and Braam Steyn respectively. Parisse captains the team from no 8.

For Parisse the match is to be his 132nd cap for Italy. The 34-year-old from La Plata, Argentina moved to Italy aged 17 and quickly began his professional career with Benetton Treviso. In 2005 he moved to France to lay for Stade Français where he remains until today.

At the age of 18 he made his test debut, ding so against none other than the All Blacks in Hamilton, New Zealand. He would go on to play in RWCs 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. The possibility now exists for an appearance in a fifth tournament, in Japan next year.

In facing France Parisse draws level with former All Black Keven Mealamu on 132 test caps. In his previous appearance he overtook former Irish fly half Ronan O’Gara. Remaining above him are Gethin Jenkins (Wales – 134), George Gregan (Australia – 139), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland – 141) and Richie McCaw (New Zealand – 148).

Parisse no longer plays in June Internationals. This is an arrangement to ensure he is able to play on and remain fit with a goal of appearing in RWC 2019. Italy’s other 2018 matches are against Wales and Scotland in the Six Nations and three November Internationals.

As such he could finish 2018 with 137 test caps. In 2019 he will be available for the Six Nations, World Cup warm-up matches and the RWC itself. If injury free Parisse may well be rugby’s most-capped player of all time come Japan 2019.

ITALY
15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Tommaso Boni, 12 Tommaso Castello, 11 Mattia Bellini, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Maxime Mbanda, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Dean Budd, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lovotti

Replacements: 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Nicola Quaglio, 18 Tiziano Pasquali 19 George Biagi, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Jayden Hayward