Italy suffer huge blow as Sebastian Negri to miss Six Nations clash with Ireland
Sebastian Negri will miss Italy's Six Nations clash with Ireland in Dublin on Sunday
Italy have suffered a devastating blow ahead of their Six Nations round two clash with Ireland in Dublin on Sunday following confirmation that Sebastian Negri will miss the tie.
The hugely influential flanker sustained a rib contusion in the impressive performance against England in Rome, albeit one accompanied by narrow defeat.
Benetton duo Manuel Zuliani and Alessandro Izekor seem likely to compete to replace Negri, who only last week accurately prophesied life under new coach Gonzalo Quesada.
“You’ve got to give a coach time, but I think we are going to have more balance to our game,” the 29-year-old said before the 27-24 defeat.
“Not to say we won’t throw the ball around – we want to attack, and it’s difficult to go back to what we did years ago just kicking, trying to work on our set piece, but there’s got to be a balance in the way we play.
“We probably got caught out a bit during the World Cup and certain games in the last Six Nations. I think if we have a balance to our game we will be a threat.”
