Wales, France, Ireland, England, Scotland and Italy have named thie teams for the weekend’s Six Nations action.

Wales named 6 changes in their side for the clash against Scotland.

France made 4 changes to their side, including bringing back Gael Fickou, for their clash against Ireland on the weekend.

Ireland made just 1 change to their side to face France.

England made no changes to their starting side and has made only 1 change on the bench, bringing back Manusamoa Tuilagi in the place of Alex Goode, for their clash with Italy in Rome.

After initially only naming the forwards and sweating over the composition of his backline, Scotland coach, Scott Johnson, has named his backline, with Edinburgh winger Dougie Fife winning his first cap.

Italy coach, Jacques Brunel, has made 3 changes to the Italy side, to face England, with Sergio Parisse returning to the fold and leading the team.

Wales:

Wales coach Warren Gatland named six changes Thursday in his side to play Scotland on Saturday as the champions look to finish the Six Nations with a flourish.

Wales’ 29-18 loss to England at Twickenham on Sunday ended their hopes of becoming the first side to win an unprecedented third successive Six Nations title.

Gatland responded by making changes across the team, although several are injury-enforced.

Three come in the backs with Liam Williams replacing Leigh Halfpenny following the star full-back’s season-ending shoulder injury at Twickenham, while Mike Phillips comes in for scrum-half Rhys Webb, who also suffered a knock against England.

But at flyhalf Dan Biggar makes his first start of the championship following Rhys Priestland’s lacklustre display against England, with James Hook again left kicking his heels on the bench.

Up front, prop Gethin Jenkins will become Wales’ most-capped player when he makes his 105th appearance, one more than former fly-half Stephen Jones, although the veteran forward will hope to avoid a third successive yellow card after being sin-binned at Twickenham for failing to scrummage straight.

Jenkins is a member of a changed front row where Scarlets duo Rhodri Jones and hooker Ken Owens make their first starts of the Championship.

Luke Charteris returns from injury to partner Alun Wyn Jones in the second row with the rest of the pack unchanged.

Ospreys front row forwards Richard Hibbard and Adam Jones drop to the bench as does Priestland.

Defeats this season by Ireland and England, both vying for the title on Saturday, have led to accusations Wales are becoming too predictable a a side when faced with major opposition.

Nevertheless they will still be favourites to beat a Scotland team seeking a first win in Cardiff since 2002 and whose lone success this tournament was a last-gasp win over Italy, although they were unluckly to lose 19-17 to France at Murrayfield last weekend.

Saturday’s match will be former Wales coach Scott Johnson’s last in charge of Scotland, with the Australian handing over to New Zealander Vern Cotter at the end of the season to concentrate solely on his role as director of rugby at the Scottish Rugby Union.

Wales: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (Captain), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Rhodri Jones, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Paul James, 18 Adam Jones, 19 Jake Ball, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 James Hook.

France:

French coach Philippe Saint-Andre on Thursday called back teenager Gael Fickou as one of four team changes for the last chance Six Nations clash with Ireland.

The 19-year-old Toulouse centre scored the dramatic late try that beat England and Saint Andre will need his aggressive talent in the battle for a victory on Saturday while the Six Nations crown is still mathematically open.

Fickou is considered one of the most dangerous players of his generation, but he has generally been used as a replacement by Saint Andre.

“He is in form, he is fast,” said Saint Andre. “We need to see his talent on show from the start.”

Fickou will team up with Mathieu Bastareaud in the charge for points after France managed only a close 19-17 victory over Scotland last weekend.

Saint Andre has also brought back Remi Tales, 29, in place of Jules Plisson to reinforce France’s defence.

Dimitri Szarzewski comes back as hooker in place of Brice Mach and Louis Picamoles also returns after he was dropped against Scotland for an indifferent display against Wales.

Ireland, England and France are level on points but Ireland and England have a far superior points scored record.

France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Maxime Medard, 10 Remi Tales, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Alexandre Lapandry, 6 Louis Picamoles, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape (Captain), 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dmitry Szarzewski, 1 Thomas Domingo
Replacements: 16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Rabah Slimani, 19 Alexandre Flanquart, 20 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 21 Wenceslas Lauret, 22 Jean-Marc Doussain, 23-Maxime Mermoz.

Ireland:

Ireland made just one change to the starting XV that will face Philippe Saint-Andre’s France in a Six Nations decider at the Stade de France on Saturday.

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has recovered from the hamstring strain that kept him sidelined for the Italy game and returns at blindside flank in place of Iain Henderson – who reverts to the bench.

Captain Paul O’Connell wins his 92nd cap and packs down alongside Devin Toner in the second row.

The Six Nations’ leading front row combination of Cian Healy, Rory Best and Mike Ross will face one of their toughest tests against Nicolas Mas and Thomas Domingo.

Johnny Sexton will again lead the backline, having put his thumb strain behind him with a fine performance against Italy.

Conor Murray has also fully recuperated from the illness that saw him leave the field early against the Italians.

Brian O’Driscoll is set to make his 133rd appearance for Ireland.

On the bench Iain Henderson provides cover for second row with Jordi Murphy covering back row and Rhys Ruddock dropping out of the match day 23.

Ian Madigan is introduced to the bench in place of Paddy Jackson.

Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Brian O’Driscoll, 12 Gordon D’Arcy, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Paul O’Connell (Captain), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Fergus McFadden.

England:

England will field an unchanged starting line-up in Saturday’s crucial Six Nations match against Italy at the Stadio Olimpico.

The XV who beat Wales at Twickenham are retained, while there is just one change on the bench – where Manusamoa Tuilagi replaces Alex Goode.

England coach Stuart Lancaster said it is “great” to be able to name an unchanged XV.

“We have been able to achieve consistency of selection from a very competitive squad this campaign,” Lancaster said.

“The Wales result was very significant for us, but we need to finish the tournament well in Rome.

“We have had a tight turnaround and the key this week has been to manage the players’ recovery and get them in the best shape for what will be a tough match against Italy.”

Matt Mullan (London Wasps) and Kyle Eastmond (Bath Rugby) will travel with the squad as 24th and 25th men.

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Danny Care, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (Captain), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 David Wilson, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Tom Youngs, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Dave Attwood, 20 Tom Johnson, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 George Ford, 23 Manusamoa Tuilagi.

Scotland:

Scotland head coach Scott Johnson has finalised his back line and team for the final Six Nations match against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday with Edinburgh winger Dougie Fife winning his first cap.

Twenty-three-year-old Fife will become the second new cap of Scotland’s 2014 6 Nations Championship.

Fife, nurtured by the Boroughmuir and Currie clubs and the first former pupil of Firrhill High School in Edinburgh to play international rugby for Scotland, replaces Tommy Seymour who has not recovered sufficiently from the ankle injury he sustained against France last weekend.

On the other wing, Max Evans, who knows what it is to score a try at the Millennium Stadium, proved his fitness at training this morning and will win his 42nd cap.

On the bench, Jack Cuthbert will provide back three cover. It’s Cuthbert’s first involvement in a Scotland match-day 23 since the final game in the 2012 Championship.

Scotland head coach Scott Johnson is delighted to add Fife – Scotland’s 1053rd cap – to join Chris Fusaro as a debutant during this campaign.

“We like Dougie’s size and his competitive edge. He chases everything, which I like, and he has shown really good glimpses playing for Edinburgh this season,” Johnson said on the Scotland site.

“He’s been ear-marked by us for a while – we’ve been following him for the last 12 months – and he’s got his reward now. If he gets this one right, you might find that he puts a bit of pressure on (for a place) going forward, which is really good.

“I don’t really think Saturday will faze Dougie. He’s one of those players where it doesn’t seem to matter who he marks he just goes out and plays the same.”

Fife said, “I’m absolutely delighted and can’t wait. The Millennium Stadium with the roof closed – I don’t think it could be much better to be honest.

“When I got a run of games with Edinburgh and started doing fairly well I felt I could be on the brink(of a Scotland call) if I stuck in. Luckily I’ve been patient and my time has come.”

Fife has visited the home of Welsh rugby before – on a tour with the Scotland under-20 team – and is relishing the prospect of his debut this weekend.

Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Max Evans, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 1 Ryan Grant, 2 Scott Lawson, 3 Geoff Cross, 4 Richie Gray, 5 Jim Hamilton, 6 Ryan Wilson, 7 Kelly Brown, 8 David Denton
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Euan Murray, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 Alasdair Strokosch, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Duncan Taylor, 23 Jack Cuthbert.

Italy:

Captain Sergio Parisse returns for winless Italy’s starting side as the Azzurri look to cap a disappointing Six Nations campaign with a win against title hopefuls England in Rome on Saturday.

Italy coach Jacques Brunel made three changes to the side that started against Ireland last week where the Azzurri suffered a 47-7 defeat.

Parisse returns at No 8 in place of Paul Derbyshire, while in the front row Lorenzo Cittadini replaces injured prop Martin Castrogiovanni and Matias Aguero comes in for Alberto De Marchi, who drops to the bench.

England visit Stadio Olimpico looking to defend their perfect record in the tournament against Italy, although foremost on their minds will be a performance worthy of potential champions.

But if they are to overhaul leaders Ireland, in action against fellow title contenders France in Paris on Saturday, England may well need to win by a distance.

Ireland are currently 49 points better off than England on points difference, who are themselves 29 ahead of France, with all three teams having won three out of their four matches in the Championship.

Brunel admits that coming up against the “very physical” English leaves its mark and he is expecting a tough encounter in a game whose result, he says, could determine how he classifies Italy’s poor tournament so far.

“England is a formidable challenge, first of all because of their physicality. You know when you’ve played against England, because you feel it the next day,” said Brunel after unveiling his team on Thursday.

“England are coming to Rome to win the tournament, but they also have to hope results elsewhere go their way. With Ireland so far in front, they need a lot of points against us.”

Although Italy lost heavily to Ireland last week, Brunel kept faith with the bulk of his starting side from Dublin, meaning there was no place at fly-half for Tommaso Allan.

Allan scored all 13 of Italy’s first-half points in the 21-20 defeat to Scotland recently, but was restricted to replacing Luciano Orquera halfway through the second period in Dublin.

“If he (Orquera) is playing well, then there’s no reason to change, although we do reserve the right to change things during the match,” explained Brunel.

Castrogiovanni, meanwhile, failed to make the squad having suffered injuries to his ribs in Dublin.

After the defeat to Ireland, Brunel admitted one of his biggest tasks this week was keeping his players’ minds focused on his long-term strategy of maturing in time for the World Cup in 2015.

“Our main problem this week was trying to maintain faith in our own style of game and our own potential,” added Brunel.

“Some of our younger players are still growing, they haven’t reched their potential yet.

“Now is a crucial step in that process.”

However Brunel admitted that even a shock win against England would do little to erase what has been a mediocre campaign from the Azzurri.

“At the start of the tournament we set ourselves the objective of winning two games,” said Brunel, who admitted their last-minute defeat to Scotland had dented morale.

“But the result from and the performance against Scotland was a blow and left us feeling disillusioned.

“If we beat England, then we could say ‘it’s a pity because we came close against Scotland and we had a good game against the Welsh’ and so it would shed a more positive light on our campaign.

“But if we suffer heavy defeat on Saturday, then it will be a different appraisal altogether.”

Italy team to play England in a Six Nations international at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Saturday (12:30 GMT):

Italy: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Angelo Esposito, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Tito Tebaldi, 8 Sergio Parisse (Captain), 7 Robert Barbieri, 6 Joshua Furno, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero
Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Michele Rizzo, 18 Alberto De Marchi, 19 George Biagi, 20 Paul Derbyshire, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Andrea Masi.