Oct 28 : Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada says an increasingly relentless rugby calendar is exacting its toll on players as his injury-hit squad prepare for November's Nations Championship fixtures.
Quesada's Italy lost all three matches in July, against Japan, New Zealand and Australia, and while next month brings home advantage, they take on South Africa, Argentina and Fiji without several key players.
When Quesada announced his squad last week, 13 players were unavailable, including centre Tommaso Menoncello and flanker Sebastian Negri.
Captain Michele Lamaro, centre Juan Ignacio Brex and winger Louis Lynagh are the latest injury absentees.
"We play for almost 10-and-a-half months a year, never respecting a proper regeneration cycle, real recovery," Quesada told reporters on Wednesday.
"What happens is simple: players play, play, play until the body says enough. In the end, the body forces you to respect recovery.
"It has always been like this, but the game is now played at a higher level when players have better physical capacity. The fitter we are, the more collisions there are, the more the ball is in play, the greater the actual playing time."
Italy's most experienced player, flyhalf Tommaso Allan, is in the squad, but is recovering from injury and has yet to take part in training.
"He is one of the players we are assessing as a potential member of the matchday squad," Quesada said.
"In a normal situation, a player who is only returning to training in the same week as a match would generally never be selected.
"But in the current circumstances, the lack of options may force us into that position."