Italy coach Nick Mallett will be without Andrea Masi for the Six Nations meeting with Scotland in Edinburgh on February 28th after the fullback was banned for three weeks by a disciplinary panel this afternoon.
After receiving a yellow card for the first minute clothesline of his opposite number the Biarritz player was always likely to get a ban after being cited in the aftermath of the Ireland win.
The three-week suspension, however, only rules him out of the Scotland match and not the games against Wales and France next month.
Mallett named Masi in his squad this morning and was also able to call on the experience of lock Marco Bortolami and centre Andrea Marcato.
Both players missed Sunday’s 38-9 defeat through injury but were deemed fit enough to be included in what is now a 23-man squad.
Scrumhalf Pablo Canavosio and hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini have also made the team after missing the Ireland game and the opening weekend defeat to England through injury.
Overmach Cariparma utility back Giulio Rubini has been handed his first call-up to the national team.
The Azzurri return to training on Sunday in preparation for the game at Murrayfield.
Italy Squad (v Scotland)
Backs: Gonzale Canale (Clermont-Auvergne), Gonzalo Garcia (Calvisano), Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais); Andrea Marcato (Benetton Treviso), Paul Griffen (Calvisano), Luke McLean (Calvisano), Andrea Bacchetti (Rovigo), Pablo Canavosio (Viadana), Matteo Pratichetti (Calvisano), Giulio Rubini (Overmach Cariparma)
Forwards: Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester), Martin Castrogiovanni (Leicester), Carlo Antonio del Fava (Ulster), Santiago Dellape (Toulon), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Calvisano), Carlos Nieto (Gloucester), Fabio Ongaro (Saracens), Sergio Parisse (Stade Francais), Salvatore Perugini (Stade Toulousain), Ignacio Rouyet (Viadana), Josh Sole (Viadana), Alessandro Zanni (Calvisano)
