Vaccari and Francesio forced to withdraw
February 2, 2000

Italy's Paolo Vaccari has been ruled out for Saturday's clash with Scotland due to a knee ligament injury.

An automatic selection at wing for the "Azzurri" he hurt himself last Saturday playing for his club Calvisano against Treviso, in an Italian Club Championship match.

Ranking second in Italy's tryscorers, with 21 tries in 54 appearances, he will be a main loss for the Italian squad on their debut in the Six Nations.

Vaccari, 29, has been plagued with injury for almost two seasons. In 1998, he broke his wrist playing against Wales in Italy's narrow defeat 23-20 in Llanelli and was fit to play only one game for Italy over the next sixteen months.

After further surgery in Spring 1999 he began training in July and was back on the field again for Italy at the end of last August in their 49-17 victory over Uruguay scoring two tries. In the World Cup he played against England and Tonga but a knee injury forced him off the field after only nine minutes against New Zealand.

It is the same knee that will keep him out of Italy's historic match against the Scots. Joining him on the casualty list will be new comer Juan Francesio, another winger who broke his nose training for Saturday's game.

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