16 Nov 2012

Eight changes to Italian side to play All Blacks

11:40 am on 16 November 2012

There are eight changes to the Italian team to take on the All Blacks in Rome on Sunday morning.

Lock Francesco Minto will make his debut for the match which coach Jacques Brunel compares to climbing Everest.

Brunel says they are climbers who have to scale the most difficult mountain without fear, ready to brave the cold and the bad weather, otherwise they might as well stay calmly on Mont Blanc.

The All Blacks have beaten Italy 11 times in as many meetings and Brunel says the game at Rome's Olympic Stadium will show how much progress his team had made.

As well as adding Minto to the back row, Brunel will welcome back wing Mirco Bergamasco, who missed last weekend's 28-23 defeat of Tonga with a muscle problem.

Captain Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni will earn their 90th caps in the game.