Italy lose four props, call Zilocchi and Fischetti

Italy have summoned two props to fill in for their final pool match against New Zealand after incredibly losing four following the match against South Africa. Zebre pair Giosuè Zilocchi and Danilo Fischetti, the latter uncapped, will join the team as injury replacements for Simone Ferrari and Marco Riccioni.

Ferrari injured his hamstring at the first scrum of the match against the Springboks. Riccioni was his replacement and he lasted only 15 minutes longer, going off for a head injury assessment. The result was uncontested scrums for the rest of the match. It’s not the HIA that has ended Riccioni’s tournament, however, he also has been diagnosed with a bruised spine.

The pivotal moment of the match saw remaining props Andrea Lovotti and Nicola Quaglio lifting South African No8 Duane Vermeulen in the air and slamming him to the ground head-first. While Lovotti was the only one sent off during the match, both props have now been suspended for three weeks with the judiciary finding them equally guilty.

The decision in its entirety can be read below.

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The players attended a disciplinary hearing in Tokyo on 6 October before an independent judicial panel chaired by Sir James Dingemans (England) with former international player Olly Kohn (Wales) and former Scotland coach Frank Hadden (Scotland).

Lovotti admitted the act of foul play and accepted that it warranted a red card. Quaglio accepted that he had committed an act of foul play but denied that it met the red card threshold. Having considered all the evidence and after hearing from the players and their legal representative, the panel upheld the citing against Quaglio and imposed a sanction of three matches for both players.

In reaching its decision, the panel took into account the following:

• Both players were involved in lifting South Africa number eight Duane Vermeulen and dropping him to the ground
• The dynamics of the tackle were affected by the actions of both players
• There was no lasting injury to the South Africa number eight
• There were no aggravating factors and full mitigation was applied because of the players’ clean records and acceptance of their individual roles in the foul play

The players will both miss Italy’s remaining pool match against New Zealand on 12 October. The balance of the suspension will be served in the Rugby World Cup quarter and semi-final should Italy progress. If Italy does not progress, the balance of the suspensions will be served in the players’ upcoming PRO14 matches.