Campagnaro ruled out for Italy

By Mark Stevens
14/3/2016

Italy's disappointing Six Nations Championship campaign has suffered another blow with the news that influential Exeter Chiefs centre Michele Campagnaro has been ruled out of Saturday's clash with Wales in Cardiff.

The 23-year-old centre, who has been the Azzurri's stand-out player during the tournament, picked up a medial knee ligament injury in the 58-15 hammering by Ireland in Dublin last Saturday and will now return to Sandy Park for treatment.

It means Campagnaro will miss the Wales clash that will be head coach Jacques Brunel's last match at the helm.

"The recovery time for Campagnaro is estimated at ten to 15 days," Italy team manager Luigi Troiani said. "That's obviously not enough for Saturday's match against Wales, so Giulio Bisegni will join the group."

Italy have stayed on in Dublin after last Saturday's Ireland loss to minimise travelling and disruption ahead of their final-round showdown in Cardiff.

The Azzurri expect lock Marco Fuser to return to full training today, while centres Gonzalo Garcia and Luca Morisi could yet beat minor knocks ahead of the weekend.