Rugby-Injury forces Wasps' Italian Masi into retirement

June 22 (Reuters) - Wasps' Italian utility back Andrea Masi has been forced to retire from professional rugby after failing to recover from an Achilles tendon injury, the Premiership club and Italian Rugby Federation announced on Wednesday. The 35-year-old injured his Achilles in Italy's Rugby World Cup opening game loss to France last September and, despite showing positive signs during his rehabilitation, Masi has had tohang up his boots on medical advice. "Rugby has been at the core of my life for the past 20 years, and it's not easy to close such an important chapter of my life," Masi, who won 95 caps, told Wasps website.(www.wasps.co.uk) "Despite the recovery process progressing positively in the early stages, it didn't heal as hoped and it became clear I wouldn't be able to continue playing professional rugby." Masi, who made his test debut for Italy against Spain in 1999, was part of four World Cup campaigns and made 59 appearances for Wasps in four years. (Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru; editing by Ken Ferris)