Queirolo, one of the Azzurri's Argentinian-born players, had a scan on his injured muscle and has returned to his French club side Dax.

Matteo Mazzantini will take over Queirolo's role as understudy to Italy skipper Alessandro Troncon, the first-choice scrum-half.

Italy coach John Kirwan was in typically bullish form, vowing Italy would at least reach the quarter-finals of this year's World Cup.

"Our immediate ambitions have been to win an RBS 6 Nations match this year and finish in the first eight in the World Cup," said the All Black, who played in his country's victorious 1987 World Cup campaign.

"As far as the long term is concerned we hope to win the Six Nations in five to eight years."

The first of his aims has been achieved with Italy's 30-22 win over Wales in their opening match of the present campaign.

Since then, Italy have succumbed to consecutive defeats against Ireland and England.

Diego Dominguez, who missed the England match, was training again with the only absentee being student centre Paolo Vaccari, exempted on academic grounds.