Marco Zanon has been ruled out of Italy’s clash with reigning Guinness Six Nations champions England after he was released from the squad due to an injury.
The 23-year-old Benetton centre, who has won five caps, came off in the second half of the Azzurri’s 50-10 defeat to France in their Championship opener at the weekend.
An update from the Italian Rugby Federation said he “suffered a muscular injury to his right leg” and has returned to his club where he will continue his rehabilitation.
Zanon made his debut in the 2019 Championship against Les Bleus and while he missed out on the 2020 Guinness Six Nations, he was a regular start in the Autumn Nations Cup.
Meanwhile, Cherif Traorè, Johan Meyer and Maxime Mbandà will all remain with their national team to continue their recovery ahead of the trip to Twickenham on Saturday.
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Traorè had been named in the starting line-up for Italy’s match with France but was injured in the build-up to the contest, while Meyer and Mbandà both played at the Stadio Olimpico.
In better news for Franco Smith, Mattia Bellini has also resumed training with Italy after an injury he picked up last week meant he was unavailable to face Les Bleus in Rome.
Uncapped winger Pierre Bruno and prop Andrea Lovotti, who is one of Italy’s most experienced players with 43 caps, have joined the squad to bolster Smith’s options.
FORWARDS: Pietro Ceccarelli (Brive, 14 caps), Danilo Fischetti (Zebre, 9 caps), Andrea Lovotti (Zebre, 43 caps), Marco Riccioni (Benetton, 8 caps), Daniele Rimpelli (Zebre, 1 cap), Cherif Traore (Benetton, 10 caps), Giosuè Zilocchi (Zebre, 11 caps), Luca Bigi (Zebre, 33 caps), Gianmarco Lucchesi (Benetton, 3 caps), Marco Manfredi (Zebre, uncapped), Niccolò Cannone (Benetton, 9 caps), Riccardo Favretto (Mogliano Rugby 1969, uncapped), Marco Lazzaroni (Benetton, 12 caps), David Sisi (Zebre, 12 caps), Michele Lamaro (Benetton, 3 caps), Maxime Mbanda, (Zebre, 26 caps), Johan Meyer (Zebre, 10 caps), Sebastian Negri (Benetton, 29 caps), Federico Ruzza (Benetton, 20 caps)
BACKS: Callum Braley (Benetton, 9 caps), Guglielmo Palazzani (Zebre, 42 caps), Stephen Varney (Gloucester Rugby, 4 caps), Tommaso Allan (Benetton, 60 caps), Carlo Canna (Zebre, 48 caps), Paolo Garbisi (Benetton, 6 caps), Mattia Bellini (Zebre, 28 caps), Juan Ignacio Brex (Benetton, 1 cap), Pierre Bruno (Zebre, newcomer), Montanna Ioane (Benetton, 2 caps), Federico Mori (Kawasaki Robot Calvisano, 5 caps), Luca Sperandio (Benetton, 9 caps), Jacopo Trulla (Kawasaki Robot Calvisano, 4 caps)
