In one of the most bizarre injury incidents in recent years, Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni's involvement in Saturday's clash with Scotland at Murrayfield has been thrown into doubt after the Toulon giant was bitten on the nose by a friend's dog.
33-year-old Castrogiovanni, who has played 109 times for his country, had 14 stitches inserted in his nose after the accident - which was euphemistically described by the Italian Rugby Federation as "a slight domestic incident."
Although he has not been officially ruled out yet, the indications are that he is highly unlikely to play against Scotland. Lorenzo Cittadini has been called in as cover, but the loss of the highly-rated Castrogiovanni would be a huge blow to the Italians, who also have injury worries over lock Marco Bortolami.
Italy will also have to do without Andrea Masi, the 2011 Six Nations player of the season, who suffered a serious leg gash while playing for Wasps against Newcastle Falcons.
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