White Calls For Mighty Support As Italy Name Team

Jason White, the man who led Scotland to an unbeaten home record at Murrayfield in last season’s RBS Six Nations Championship, is urging Scotland supporters to play their part in sustaining that run against Italy this weekend.White, who is undergoing active rehabilitation following knee surgery after an injury he sustained in the Autumn Test against Romania, has written to fans reminding them that their presence in the stadium, inspires the players.Jason White, the man who led Scotland to an unbeaten home record at Murrayfield in last season’s RBS Six Nations Championship, is urging Scotland supporters to play their part in sustaining that run against Italy this weekend. White, who is undergoing active rehabilitation following knee surgery after an injury he sustained in the Autumn Test against Romania, has written to fans reminding them that their presence in the stadium, inspires the players. Here’s a copy of Jason’s letter “Dear Scotland supporter, Well, it’s 48 hours until we face Italy at Murrayfield and though there’s no doubt I’d rather be on the pitch than in the stands, I’d encourage anyone of you, your friends or families who haven’t yet got a ticket for the match to buy now. It may seem like a cliché but it’s no less true that the effect of the “extra man” for the Scotland team when a Murrayfield crowd is in full voice cannot be under-estimated. From my own experience as a player, the more Scots we have in our stadium on Saturday, roaring the boys on, the better. As I work on my rehab following surgery to my knee I’ll be at Murrayfield in the crowd this weekend hoping to play my part along with thousands of other passionate Scots in helping the team protect their proud home championship unbeaten record under Frank Hadden; and also putting down a marker for our meeting in St Etienne later this year against Italy in the World Cup. Here’s how to get your ticket and be at Murrayfield in person this Saturday. The tickets cost£20,£30 and£40 for adults and£10,£15 and£20 for students and under-18s. They are available from the Scottish Rugby Ticket Centre, Roseburn Street, Murrayfield; via our credit card hotline on 0131 346 5100; or by clicking here www.scottishrugby.org. See you on Saturday, Jason White”Meanwhile, Italian head coach Pierre Berbizier has named his team to face Scotland. “I’ve never won at Murrayfield as a player,” the former French international scrum-half said “and I know what a tough game it will be on Saturday. Scotland are very dangerous at home, and they’ll be very confident after beating Wales.” Berbizier has made three changes in the starting line-up: flanker Mauro Bergamasco and wing Andrea Masi return after missing the England match two weeks ago due to injuries, while flanker Alessandro Zanni replaces injured Josh Sole. Italy15 Roland De Marigny (Cammi Calvisano, 11 caps) 14 Kaine Robertson (Arix Viadana, 16 caps) 13 Gonzalo Canale (Clermont Auvergne, 29 caps) 12 Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais, 39 caps) 11 Andrea Masi (Biarritz Olympique, 29 caps) 10 Andrea Scanavacca (Cammi Calvisano, 9 caps) 9 Alessandro Troncon (Clermont Auvergne, 92 caps) 1 Andrea Lo Cicero (Infinito L’Aquila, 62 caps) 2 Carlo Festuccia (Rolly Gran Parma, 33 caps) 3 Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester Tigers, 42 caps) 4 Santiago Dellape (Biarritz Olympique, 40 caps) 5 Marco Bortolami (Gloucester RFC, 56 caps) – CAPTAIN 6 Alessandro Zanni (Cammi Calvisano, 11 caps) 8 Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais, 39 caps) 7 Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais, 55 caps) Substitutes 16 Fabio Ongaro (Saracens, 45 caps) 17 Salvatore Perugini (Stade Toulousain, 39 caps) 18 Carlos Nieto (Gloucester RFC, 17 caps) 19 Valerio Bernaò (Cammi Calvisano, 4 caps) 20 Maurizio Zaffiri (Cammi Calvisano, 11 caps) 21 Paul Griffen (Cammi Calvisano, 31 caps) 22 Ramiro Pez (Bayonne, 34 caps) The Italy match weekend Friday 23 February Scotland ‘A’ v Italy ‘A’, McDiarmid Park, Perth (Kick-off 7:30pm) Scotland U20 v Italy U20, The Falkirk Stadium, (Kick-off 7:30pm) Saturday 24 February Scotland Women v Italy Women, Meggetland (Kick-off 12:30pm) Scotoland v Italy, Murrayfield (Kick-off 3:00pm)