The "minnows" of the Six Nations are known to cause at least one upset every tournament, and with the polished coaching structures and some continuity developing in this Azzurri side, 2009 should be no different. Who will fall victim this year?

Statistically, Italy have had their best Six Nations results against Scotland, though they are also known to have usurped the current Grand Slam Champions, Wales.

After a rather disastrous autumn campaign — which saw Italy lose all three Test matches at home against their Southern counterparts — coach Nick Mallett has again made some interesting selections and positional changes in an attempt to get the most out of a national side with limited resources.

Strengths & Weaknesses: The Azzurri's strength lies in their competitiveness up front, and the return of Tigers' seasoned tighthead prop Martin Castrogiovanni to the Italian fold should do well to further boost the front rank.

The Bergamasco brothers are star performers and it will be interesting to see if Mallett's experimental switch for Mauro from flank to scrumhalf (as a result of Pablo Canavosio having been declared unfit) yields the desired effect.

The Italian's have struggled to finish off out wide, despite having the necessary pace. Their first-choice pivot however, Andrea Marcato, is near becoming the finished article which should help consolidate matters in the backline.

More than anything, Italy's biggest strength is their passion — an immeasurable and unpredictable quality.

Coach & Captain: Nick Mallett is one of the rugby world's most prestigious coaches, with a CV boasting a record of successive wins at the helm of the Springboks, whereafter he took Stade Francais to two French titles.

After the South African took over the Italy coaching position in November 2007, Italy went on to have one of their most successful Six Nations tournaments (last year). Although their only scalp was Scotland, they put the sword to both Ireland and England and nearly caused two of the tournament's biggest upsets.

Mallett's appointed captain for the 2008 campaign, number eight Sergio Parisse, lead from the front (or back rather) and has proved a confident leader ever since. His abilities as a player are unquestionable, being one of the most talented ball-carriers around, and he's got an IRB Player of the Year nomination to prove it.

2008 Position: Sixth 2008 - W1 L4 2 pts

Home Venue: Stadio Flaminio, Rome

iafrica.com Prediction: With the state of English rugby at present, it wouldn't be that surprising if Italy claim their scalp in the opening fixture at Twickenham. Italy are a young team, but an improving one, and it's evident that Mallett has instilled the right psychology and balance within this squad, while at the same time trying out different options with an eye to the future. Italy are capable of claiming the scalps of Scotland, France or England. Or all of them.

Italy Six Nations Squad:

Backs: Andrea Masi, Kaine Robertson, Gonzalo Canale, Gonzalo Garcia, Mauro Bergamasco, Mirco Bergamasco, Andrea Marcato, Giulio Toniolatti, Giulio Rubini, Matteo Pratichetti, Gilberto Pavan, Luke Mclean, Pablo Canavosio, Tommaso Benvenuti, Andrea Bacchetti.

Forwards: Sergio Parisse (captain), Alessandro Zanni, Josh Sole, Marco Bortolami, Santiago Dellape', Martin Castrogiovanni, Fabio Ongaro, Salvatore Perugini, Tommaso Reato, Carlos Nieto, Jean Francois Montauriol, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Simone Favaro, Antonio Pavanello, Matias Aguero.

Schedule:

Sat, Feb 7 England v Italy 15.00 (15.00 GMT) Twickenham
Sun, Feb 15 Italy v Ireland 15.30 (14.30 GMT) Stadio Flaminio
Sat, Feb 28 Scotland v Italy 15.00 (15.00 GMT) Murrayfield
Sat, Mar 14 Italy v Wales 16.00 (15.00 GMT) Stadio Flaminio
Sat, Mar 21 Italy v France 14.15 (13.15 GMT) Stadio Flaminio