Italian national rugby league team
| Nickname (s) | Gli Azzurri | |||||||||
| Association | Federazione Italiana Rugby League | |||||||||
| Trainer | Carlo Napolitano | |||||||||
| captain | Andrew Kaleopa | |||||||||
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First international match France 29:17 Italy ( Cahors , France ; 1951)
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Biggest win Russia 6:92 Italy ( Padova , Italy ; 2011)
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Biggest defeat Scotland 104-0 Italy ( Padova , Italy ; 2009)
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World Championships 2013 Best result: Group stage 2013 |
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The Italian national rugby league team represents Italy at international level in rugby league sport. The team is also known by the nickname "Gli Azzurri" ("The Blues"). The sport is organized by the Federazione Italiana Rugby League .
history
The Italian national rugby league team played their first international match in 1951 and lost to France in Cahors with 17:29. During the 1950s and 1960s the sport grew in popularity in Italy and the national team competed regularly against high profile opponents. However, the national rugby union federation went over to punishing the participation of players in rugby league games, thus ensuring an early demise of the unpleasant competition. By the 1970s, rugby league had virtually disappeared in Italy and the national team no longer existed.
It was not until the 1990s that the Azzurri were revived on the initiative of some Italo-Australians . In 2013 , they qualified for the Rugby League World Cup for the first time . The team, consisting mainly of Australians with Italian roots, failed in the preliminary round.