Experienced Italy backrow forward Josh Sole withdrew on Monday from the squad to tour Australia and New Zealand because of a wrist injury.

The 29-year-old New Zealand-born player, capped 38 times, has been replaced by the uncapped Paul Derbyshire for the tour which sees Italy play Australian on June 13 and 20 and then round off their tour against the All Blacks on June 27.

Sole's withdrawal is the latest blow for coach Nick Mallett, who has already lost outstanding Leicester Tigers prop Martin Castrogiovanni, scrum-half Simon Picone and fullback Andrea Marcato.

Italy picked up the wooden spoon in the Six Nations, losing all five of their matches.

Squad

Scrum: Matias Aguero (Saracens/ENG), Mauro Bergamasco (Stade Francais/FRA), Marco Bortolami (Gloucester/ITA), Carlo Antonio Del Fava (Ulster/IRL), Paul Derbyshire (Petrarca), Simone Favaro (Rovigo), Quintin Geldenhuys (Viadana), Leonardo Ghiraldini (Calvisano), Jean-Francois Montauriol (Venice), Sergio Parisse (capt, Stade Francais/FRA), Salvatore Perugini (Toulouse/FRA), Tommaso Reato (Rovigo), Ignacio Rouyet (Viadana), Franco Sbaraglini (Treviso), Fabio Staibano (Castres/FRA), Alessandro Zanni (Calvisano)

Backs: Mirco Bergamasco (Stade Francais/FRA), Kristopher Burton (Prato), Gonzalo Canale (Clermont/FRA), Pablo Canavosio (Viadana), Gonzalo Garcia (Calvisano), Craig Gower (Bayonne/FRA), Luke McLean (Calvisano), Gilberto Pavan (Overmach Parma), Matteo Pratichetti (Calvisano), Roberto Quartaroli (Overmach Parma), Kaine Robertson (Viadana), Giulio Rubini (Overmach Parma), Tito Tebaldi (Parma), Giulio Toniolatti (Rome)

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