Rome - Italy prop Martin Castrogiovanni could be out of the rest of the Six Nations after cracking a rib during Saturday's 19-15 defeat to England at the Stadio Olimpico here.
Following tests with Italy's medical department the Leicester Tigers tight-head is expected to be out for between 30-40 days.
That means he faces a race against time to be fit for either of Italy's final two tournament matches away to Wales on March 10 or at home to Scotland a week later.
Castrogiovanni was forced off during the first half after a relatively innocuous looking clash when carrying the ball.
As well as the Italian Rugby Federation announcing a sell-out crowd before Saturday's match at the 72 000-capacity Stadio Olimpico - although on game day there were visibly some empty seats - Italian TV also claimed record viewing figures for the game.
Sky Sport, which broadcast the game live, said they received an average of 290 420 viewers, a 30 percent increase on their previous record figures during last season's Six Nations for the historic home victory against France.
Follow Sport24 on Twitter and Facebook
England
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
France
Italy
View Results | Vote Archive
20% England
19% Ireland
2% Scotland
30% Wales
27% France
2% Italy
Vote Archive
The weird and wonderful beard of Lions captain Josh Strauss.
David Beckham's precise footwork with a 15-foot wall of drums as he plays Beethoven's Ode to Joy.
All the key match-ups in Saturday's Super Rugby derby between the Sharks and Stormers in Durban.
Usain Bolt, Fernando Alonso, Rickie Fowler, Yuvraj Singh, and Sergio Agüero join forces in this hilarious new Puma advert.
Didier Drogba thanks the fans for their support over the past 8 years, as he prepares to leave Chelsea for greener pastures.
Met Uysh! says Heyneke's squad confirms what most non Bull supporters feared most: Bulls favouritism. How could he have left out Siya Kolisi and Robert Ebersohn but included JJ Englebrecht, Zane Kirchner and Akona Ndungane?
Twitter Follow Sport24 on Twitter
Newsletters Sign up for Sport24's Morning Glory newsletter
Blogs Yes your opinion counts. Get it out there
WIN Enter and win with Sport24!
Mobile Sport24 on your mobile phone - WAP, alerts, downloads, services
BlackBerry Stay in the loop on your BlackBerry
iPhone Latest Sport24 news on your iPhone
Facebook "Like" Sport24's Facebook page
TV schedule Plan your couch time with our searchable sport TV guide
RSS Feeds Sport news delivered really simply.