Italy hit by tour withdrawals

[travelling_gerry]

Posted Mon Jun 1, 2009 5:37pm AEST
Simon Picone has withdrawn from the tour "for personal reasons". (Getty Images: David Rogers)


Italy's already treacherous tour to Australia and New Zealand has been hit by the withdrawals of experienced prop Martin Castrogiovanni, scrum-half Simon Picone and full-back Andrea Marcato.
Leicester Tiger Castrogiovanni and Marcato are injured while Picone misses out due to "personal reasons" according to the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR).
The absences will hit a squad that is already without full-back Andrea Masi and hooker Carlo Festuccia.
The Metro Racing pair are from the Abruzzo region that was badly hit by an earthquake in April and they have decided to stay with their families.
Worse still for English-born South African-raised coach Nick Mallett is that Castrogiovanni is a first choice prop while Picone would likely have started at number nine.
Former Penrith Panther Craig Gower is part of the squad that will make its way Down Under.
Marcato can play either full-back or fly-half and with Masi out would have started at number 15.
The trio have been replaced by Viadana prop Ignacio Rouyet, fly-half Kristopher Burton of Prato and the uncapped Parma scrum-half Tito Tebaldi.
The squad will meet in Rome on June 1 before leaving for Melbourne two days later.
They face the Wallabies on June 13 in Canberra and then again a week later at Docklands in Melbourne before heading to New Zealand to face the All Blacks on June 27 in Christchurch.
- AFP

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...01/2586307.htm

[James]

Bound to happen. French are the same. Name a big squad for the tour so you look like you aren't sending a second string side and then bam call them all out for injuries. I expect they'll announce another two, at least, dropping out of the French squad this week.

[mudskipper]

They'd rather stay home for their summer vacations....

[Tazzmania]

Thankfully from 2011, we play these matches midweek and concentrate on Super 15.

[beige]

No we won't - there'll be a 3 week break for the tests.