Harvey Cuckson continues in the second row after starring in his country’s 60-14 win over Wales last weekend while Sam Harris, who was England Under-20s’ top points scorer in the U20 Six Nations, comes in at fly-half.

Prop Scott Kirk will make his age-grade debut as a replacement.

The U19 fixtures provides an avenue for players to continue their international development through the England Rugby pathways programme.

The match will be streamed on the England Rugby YouTube channel. Tickets are still available online, starting at £10 for adults and £1 for children.

England Under-19s beat their Italian counterparts in the corresponding fixture in Verona last year, 41-20.

England Under-20s Head Coach Alan Dickens said: “This is our second clash in as many weeks, after our match against Wales last week in Bristol. It was a pleasing result for us but even better was seeing these players develop and perform at the international level in their own age group.

“We have a number of players who were either part of the team that faced Italy in the Under-20 Six Nations or played in this same fixture last year at Verona. There are shared learnings from those experiences with the group.

“Tonight’s match against the Azzurri is another opportunity and a challenge. They take to the pitch with passion, play expansive rugby with a strong set piece and maul focus, and their players gel well having played a lot of rugby together.”

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