Former NRL star Craig Gower has been ruled out of this weekend’s rugby Test between Italy and Australia. The Azzurri five-eighth picked up a knee injury in last Saturday’s 22-16 loss to Argentina in Verona.
Gower, the former Penrith and Kangaroos star who qualifies for Italy because of an Italian grandfather, is likely to be replaced for the match against his country of birth by Luciano Orquera.
Italy host the Wallabies in Florence on Saturday (0100 Sunday AEDT).
Gower has played 14 Tests for Italy since his debut against Australia in Canberra last year.
The 32-year-old recently knocked back interest from the Canberra Raiders and Parramatta Eels to extend his stay with French Top 14 club Bayonne by another three years.
Another Australian-born player, fullback Luke McLean, has been named in the Italy squad.
Italy squad
Forwards: Robert Barbieri, Mauro Bergamasco, Martin Castrogiovanni, Lorenzo Cittadini, Carlo Antonio Del Fava, Santiago Dellape, Paul Derbyshire, Quintin Geldenhuys, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Andrea Lo Cicero, Fabio Ongaro, Sergio Parisse (capt), Salvatore Perugini, Alessandro Zanni.Backs: Tommaso Benvenuti, Mirco Bergamasco, Riccardo Bocchino, Gonzalo Canale, Pablo Canavosio, Edoardo Gori, Andrea Masi, Luke McLean, Luciano Orquera, Alberto Sgarbi.
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