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Varney misses Italy's Chile Test with rib fracture / Photo: © AFP
NYSE - LSE
Varney misses Italy's Chile Test with rib fracture
Stephen Varney will miss Italy's final November test match against Chile after suffering a rib fracture in training, the country's rugby union federation (FIR) said on Thursday.
Welsh-born scrum-half Varney is one of 10 players from last weekend's defeat to South Africa not to start against Chile in Genoa, the Exeter man being injured on Wednesday.
"Further tests revealed no serious injuries, but the player will be unable to play in the Azzurri's final Test match in 2025," said the FIR.
In Varney's place at scrum-half will be Treviso's Alessandro Garbisi.
Italy have impressed again under head coach Gonzalo Quesada this autumn, beating Australia and holding their own against world champions South Africa last weekend.
They face Chile in Genoa on Saturday with a refreshed line-up to the one which got those results against two rugby powerhoues, with Ange Capuozzo, Tommaso Menoncello, Monty Ioane and the Cannone brothers -- Lorenzo and Niccolo -- retaining their places.
Flanker Michele Lamaro returns to action and reclaims the captain's armband after recovering from a thigh injury picked up ahead of Italy's win over Australia.
Italy (15-1):
Ange Capuozzo; Mirko Belloni, Tommaso Menoncello, Leonardo Marin, Monty Ioane; Giacomo Da Re, Alessandro Garbisi; Lorenzo Cannone, Michele Lamaro (capt), Alessandro Izekor; Federico Ruzza, Niccolo Cannone; Simone Ferrari, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, Muhamed Hasa
Replacements:
Pablo Dimcheff, Danilo Fischetti, Giosue Zilocchi, Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi, Manuel Zuliani, Martin Page-Relo, Juan Ignacio Brex, Edoardo Todaro
V.J. Coelho--JDB
