Italy delay announcement of World Cup squad

Italy head coach Kieran Crowley has delayed the announcement of the squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup due to injury concerns.

Crowley was set to name the squad on Thursday but now will name in on 22nd August due to the injuries sustained in the last weekend's game against Ireland in Dublin which they went on to lose 17-33.

Saracens prop Marco Riccioni left the field in the opening stages of the encounter due to knee injury while scrumhalf Stephen Varney also suffered a shoulder problem.

Centre Tommaso Menoncello also is sidelined with a shoulder injury with Paolo Odogwu and Manuel Zuliani set to under concussion protocols.

“Riccioni and Varney will undergo tests again in the coming days to understand the evolution of their injury and duration of their absence,” read a statement from Italian Rugby Federation.

Italy are grouped in Pool A alongside France, New Zealand, Namibia and Uruguay.