Italy's Nations Series just got a lot tougher

Italy suffered a major blow with the news of flanker Sebastian Negri ahead of the Nations Series.

The FIR confirmed that Negri has been released from the camp due to injury and will miss next week’s opener against Australia in Udine.

The statement read: “Sebastian Negri will not be part of the list of athletes of the Men’s National Team called up for the match against Australia scheduled for November 8 at the Bluenergy Stadium in Udine.

“The player, after a joint evaluation carried out by the medical staff of the national team and his club, will not be able to continue the training camp with Italy due to the persistence of the after-effects of an ankle injury recently suffered while playing for Benetton.

“In order to ensure the full recovery of the athlete – with the aim of having him on the field as soon as possible – Sebastian Negri will return to Treviso to begin the rehabilitation process that will be monitored jointly by the medical staff of the National team and his club.”

Negri, 31, has been a mainstay of the Italian pack since his debut in 2018, earning more than 65 caps to date.

The flanker has become a cornerstone of Benetton’s forward pack and one of the Azzurri’s most reliable performers at Test level.

Born in Zimbabwe and educated in South Africa, it is not clear whether he will feature at all during the November Test slot.

The Italians face a challenging November Series which include a fixture against the Springboks.