Italy head coach Jacques Brunel doesn’t think so as he firmly believes Manoa Vosawai is an able deputy for Parisse who will miss the remainder of the RBS 6 Nations championship tournament after picking up a red card for insulting a Top 14 referee while playing for Stade Francais.
Italy head coach Brunel had a number of options to choose from instead of Parisse at No.8 but opted to go for Treviso’s Vosawai over teammate Paul Derbyshire.
“Manoa plays that role [No.8] at Treviso, just like Robert Barbieri and to a lesser extend Paul Derbyshire,” said Brunel.
“Zanni, from what I’ve seen, doesn’t play at eight for Treviso any more, Barbieri is still not 100 per-cent, which is why we have gone with Vosawai, with Derbyshire on the bench as a possible replacement, as well as another option on the flank.”
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