Italy will be without Tommaso Menoncello for next month's Nations Championship after the Toulouse centre was forced off after just six minutes of Sunday's Champions Cup win over Exeter with a shoulder injury. The Italian Rugby Federation confirmed the 24-year-old's omission on Wednesday.
Menoncello is one of four absentees for head coach Gonzalo Quesada, who will also be missing scrumhalf Martin Page-Relo, back-rower Sebastian Negri and Zebre fullback Lorenzo Pani for Italy's matches against South Africa, Argentina and Fiji.
Quesada acknowledged the significance of the losses but framed the situation as an opportunity with the 2027 Rugby World Cup a year away. "We know that major challenges await us this year, starting with the injuries to several players who are very important for our team," he said in an FIR statement. "But one year out from the Rugby World Cup, I also see these difficulties as a great opportunity to give playing time to some young players who represent the future of the national team."
The Nations Championship concludes the weekend of November 27-29, with the final round of matches determining the standings.