Italy has had a triple setback by having to rule out injured props Martin Castrogiovanni and Michele Rizzo and centre Gonzalo Garcia for the remainder of the Rugby World Cup.
All three would be returning to their clubs to have surgery or rehabilitate, team doctor Vincenzo Ieracitano said on Monday.
Benetton Treviso's Alberto De Marchi, capped 28 times, and Zebre's uncapped Andrea Lovotti were called up as replacements for Castrogiovanni and Rizzo.
Italy was eliminated from quarterfinals contention by the 16-9 loss to Ireland on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium, and has one more match left in Pool D, next Sunday against Romania. The match is still important, as third place will automatically qualify the team for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Castrogiovanni is Italy's most capped player, with 115, one more than captain Sergio Parisse, and been the first-choice tighthead for a dozen years. His fourth World Cup began with a start against France, and he came off the bench against Canada, but missed the Ireland match because of a sciatic nerve problem.
Ieracitano said Castrogiovanni will most likely need surgery to remove scar tissue on the lumbar plexus in his lower back, aggravated by sciatic nerve pain.
Garcia (right thigh flexor) and Rizzo (sprained left knee) were injured against Ireland and, although neither appeared too serious, the damage was bad enough to make both players unavailable for this weekend's match.
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