Italy captain Sergio Parisse will miss Sunday's Six Nations match with Ireland after suffering a concussion while playing for his club Stade Francais at the weekend.
The news comes as a massive blow to Conor O'Shea's team, whose defeat in week two to Wales was their 19th consecutive championship loss.
Number 8 Parisse, at 35, remains the team's talisman and has amassed 136 caps since making his debut in 2002.
In a statement the Italian Rugby Federation said: "Having undergone the second phase of neurological investigations following the suspected concussive trauma reported in the Top14 match [v Lyon], Parisse will continue the return path required by the current international regulations."
Follow Italy v Ireland (3pm) via our liveblog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the News Now app, or listen to live national radio commentary on 2fm.
