Italian national rugby union team

Italy

Nickname (s)	Azzurri
Association	Federazione Italiana Rugby
Trainer	Franco Smith
WR abbreviation	ITA
WR rank	12. (72.04 points) (as of February 4, 2020)
home Away
Most international matches Sergio Parisse (142)
Most points scored Diego Domínguez (983)
Most attempts scored Marcello Cuttitta (25)
First international match Spain 9-0 Italy (May 20, 1929)
Biggest win Czech Republic 8: 104 Italy (May 18, 1994)
Biggest defeat South Africa 101-0 Italy (June 19, 1999)
World Championship participations: 9/9 Best result: 2 wins in the preliminary round in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019

The Italian national rugby union team ( Italian Nazionale di rugby a 15 dell'Italia ) is the official Italian national team in rugby union and represents the country in all international matches (" test matches ") of the men. It is usually referred to as Azzurri (German: The sky blue ). Azure is commonly used as the color of the Italian national teams, as it was the traditional color of the House of Savoy , which formed the kings of Italy from 1860 to 1946 . The Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) is responsible for the organization . Italy is currently (June 2020) 14th in the world rugby rankings . The team usually plays their home games at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome .

Italy's first international match took place in 1929 when they played against Spain . Alongside Romania, Italy was for decades considered to be one of the strongest rugby teams in Europe outside of the Five Nations of the time. Italy has participated in the Six Nations annually since 2000 , along with England , France , Ireland , Scotland and Wales . In 2011 and 2013, Italië received the Giuseppe Garibaldi trophy , which is played annually between France and Italy during the Six Nations.

Italian rugby experienced a boom in 2000 when the national team became part of the Five Nations, which were expanded to become the Six Nations. In the early years Italy suffered significant defeats, but has achieved better results in the last few years and even reached fourth place in 2007 and 2013, and the number of significant defeats was also reduced. The Azzurri have already achieved respectable results at home games: During the Six Nations 2011 they defeated France 22:21; during the Six Nations 2013 France with 23:18, and also Ireland with 22:15. Since their away win during the Six Nations 2015 against Scotland 22:19 in the third round, however, they have not won a game during the Six Nations, which corresponds to a loss of 25 games.

The team has its most important international appearances at the world championships that take place every four years . Since its introduction, the Italian team has taken part in every tournament and hit the first opening game 1987 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand (6:70). However, Italy has not yet made it from the group stage to the knockout stage. The team has developed into a constant medium-strength opponent at world championships. Italy's result since the introduction of the new tournament format during the Rugby Union World Cup in 2003 has consistently consisted of two wins and two defeats in each tournament, sufficient to automatically qualify as third party for the following tournament.

The current national coach is the South African Franco Smith and the team captain is the Hakler Luca Bigi .

organization

Italy versus Scotland in the 2007 Six Nations

The Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) is responsible for the organization of rugby union in Italy. The FIR emerged in 1928 from the "Propaganda Committee" and in 1987 joined the International Rugby Board (IRB), now World Rugby. The highest rugby union league in Italy is the Campionato di Eccellenza , in which 12 teams, mainly from the Italian rugby strongholds Lombardy and Veneto , but also from Rome, take part.

In addition to the actual national team, the FIR summons other selection teams. The U-20 national team takes part in the relevant world championships. Children and young people are introduced to the sport of rugby at school and, depending on their interests and talent, the training then begins. The second national team of Italy is Italia Emergenti (" Emergent Italy").

Overriding the national championship is the international Pro14 championship, which is held together with teams from Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Wales , in which two Italian teams take part ( Benetton Rugby Treviso and Zebre ). The European teams of the Pro14 can qualify during the tournament for the European Rugby Champions Cup , which is played with teams from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales and play the highest title for rugby union club teams in Europe. Since the seasons overlap only a little, numerous players are used in all three leagues.

history

Early years: 1890–34

The Po Valley in northern Italy is usually considered the center of Italian rugby

The Italian national team in 1933

Britten brought rugby, as well as other sports, to Genoa between 1890 and 1905 . The organizing committees for the first games were dissolved shortly afterwards.

Italy's traditional center of rugby spans the smaller towns of the Po Valley and other areas of northern Italy. Tradition has it that Italian workers who returned from the south of France brought the game with them to Italy and spread the sport among the rural working class, as is the case in some cities such as Treviso and Rovigo to this day. A demonstration game was played in Turin in 1910 between SCUF and Servette from Geneva . French students brought the game to the University of Milan in 1911 . While each of these events can be viewed as the "origin of rugby in Italy", it appears that these events occurred simultaneously and independently, and that Italy's exposure to rugby was a series of events rather than a single event. Regardless of the exact origin of the sport in Italy, the geographical proximity of northern Italy to the French center of sport also helped establish and develop rugby in Italy.

The first game to be played by an Italian selection was between US Milanese and Voiron from France in 1911. On July 25 of the same year, the "Propaganda Committee" was founded, from which in 1928 the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) arose.

In May 1929 Italy played their first international match, but lost 9-0 to Spain in Barcelona . In 1934 Italy was one of the founding members of FIRA, now Rugby Europe; the other founding members were France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Catalonia, Romania, the Netherlands and Germany. In 1935 they played against France for the first time, but were clearly defeated at home in Rome with 6:44.

1945-85

The Italian rugby union team in 1952

France versus Italy in Rome, 1954

The Italian rugby union team 1973

Alley at the game Italy vs. France 1975

The Second World War interrupted the sport of rugby in Italy, as it did in other active rugby nations. In the post-war years, the need to return to normal life was great and the sport of Italian rugby reached a new level , mainly thanks to the presence of Allied troops in Italy.

In the 1970s and 1980s, rugby went through a great development in Italy, thanks largely to the help of foreign players ( John Kirwan , Naas Botha , David Campese , Michael Lynagh) and coaches ( Julien Saby , Roy Bish , Will Greenwood , Nelie Smith ) in the Campionato di Eccellenza . Above all, foreign coaches such as Bertrand Fourcade and Georges Coste were and are employed as national coaches for Italy. In 1973 the national team, with the former prop of the Springboks , Amos du Plooy , in the ranks, went on a tour to South Africa . This was followed by tours to England and Scotland , but also games against Australia and New Zealand , the leading teams at the time. In 1978 Italy played against Argentina for the first time in Rovigo and won 19: 6.

1986-99

From the mid-1980s, the Italian team had the ambition to take part in an expanded Five Nations tournament. Regular victories over national teams participating in the European Rugby Union Championship (Romania, Spain, Georgia, Portugal and Germany) and good results against the big rugby nations France, Scotland, Wales and Ireland have shown that the Italians are good candidates.

In 1986, Italië received an English selection in Rome and played a 15:15 draw. The Azzurri met the All Blacks in the first game of a world championship on May 22, 1987. The game turned into a one-sided affair as the All Blacks beat the young Italian side 70-6. John Kirwan, the future national coach of Italy, made one of the best attempts in the tournament for the All Blacks. Italy then defeated Fiji , but lost to Argentina and ended up third in the group and did not reach the knockout phase. In 1988 they played against Ireland for the first time, but lost 15:31.

At the Rugby Union World Cup in 1991 , Italy was drawn in a close group with England and the All Blacks. They lost both games, but were able to defeat the USA . In 1994 Italy played against Wales for the first time, but lost 19:29. During the Rugby Union World Cup in South Africa in 1995 , Italy was on the verge of defeating England but lost at 20:27. They were able to recover from it and defeat Argentina. They ended up in third place again behind England and Western Samoa, but before Argentina.

On August 26, 1995, the International Rugby Board lifted all restrictions on player payment, ushering in the professional era of rugby union. In the late 1990s, the Italians had a strong run and won test matches against Five Nations teams, including against Ireland in 1995 with a 22:12 at home. In 1996 British Sky Broadcasting signed a contract with the Rugby Football Union that England's home games should only be broadcast on Sky. England was on the verge of being excluded from the Five Nations and replaced by Italy. After a comparison, however, this no longer happened.

In 1996 Italy toured England, Wales and Scotland for the first time, but lost all test matches. 1997 they achieved two victories over Ireland in a row: on January 4th with 37:29 in Lansdowne Road and on December 20th with 37:22 in Bologna . On March 22, 1997, Italy scored their first victory over France: 40:32 in Grenoble , but lost on October 18 of the same year at 19:30. In January 1998 Italy defeated Scotland for the first time with 25:21 in Treviso; during qualifying for the 1999 World Cup in the same year they lost 15:23 against England in Huddersfield; however, it was believed that an attempt by Alessandro Troncon was not given by the referee.

During the 1999 Rugby World Cup was Italy for the third time in the same group with New Zealand, and you lost the game again. They couldn't win a game during the World Cup and had to go home after the group stage.

Six Nations since 2000

Italy versus Portugal during the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup

Italy against the All Blacks in the sold out Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in front of 80,000 spectators, November 2009

The Italian team during the national anthem, 2011

Alley in the game Italy vs Scotland during the Six Nations 2012

Italian fans en route to Murrayfield Stadium before the game against Scotland during the 2013 Six Nations

The Italian team during the Rugby Union World Cup 2019 against Namibia

Italy eventually became part of the Six Nations in 2000 , but that event coincided with the retirement of many important players. Italy could still win their first game against Scotland 34:20. After that, however, they struggled against the other teams and the participation of the Italians was questioned. The 2001 and 2002 tournaments were disappointing after failing to win a game. The national coach Brad Johnstone was sacked in 2002 after an alleged demonstration of "player power".

John Kirwan became the new national coach for Italy. Italy was able to achieve its second victory during the Six Nations 2003 when they defeated Wales 30:22 and thus avoided the " wooden spoon " that the last-placed Welsh "won". Italy also won two games against Canada and Tonga during the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup , but lost to the All Blacks and Wales. This tournament was disappointing despite the two victories when Wales took revenge for the defeat during the Six Nations and beat the Italians with 27:15. Italy then became the only Six Nations team that failed to qualify for the quarter-finals. During the Six Nations 2004 , Italy achieved their third victory overall when they defeated Scotland.

Italy, like other nations, benefited from the rules of the IRB, according to which one could nominate foreign national players with Italian roots or players for the national team who had played games in Italy for at least three years. In 2004, however, it was decided that from now on only three of the possible “non-Italians” would be appointed to the national team in order to offer Italian players better development opportunities.

During the Six Nations 2005 Italy could not achieve a victory and ended up in last place in the table. Kirwan was fired and replaced by Pierre Berbizier . Italy then embarked on a tour to Argentina and surprised the rugby world by defeating the Pumas 30:29 and finishing the test series 1-1 (this was the only victory for a Northern Hemisphere team in the Southern Hemisphere in 2005). However, the Pumas were able to retaliate and defeat Italy in Genoa with 39:22.

During the Six Nations 2006 the Italians could keep up against all other teams, and even led in the first half against England and France; however, they lost the first three games. In the game against Wales, however, Italy managed a memorable 18:18 away draw, the first away points during the tournament. There was no draw against Scotland at home in Rome when the Scots were awarded a late penalty and Italy lost 10:13.

During the Six Nations 2007 Italy did not get into the tournament and lost 3:39 to France. Italy's performance improved, however, and they made it difficult for the English to win 20-7 at Twickenham. This was followed by a strong start against Scotland at Murrayfield, when Italy put in a quick try and led 21-0 after seven minutes; the Azzurri eventually scored a 37-17 win, their first away win during the Six Nations. This was Italy's biggest win over Scotland so far, both at home and away. Italy then received Wales at home in Rome and they won with 23:20, with which Italy was able to achieve two victories in a row for the first time and thus achieved the best place in the table so far. Interest in rugby in the country reached new heights when Italian success hit the front pages of newspapers and the sport was described as an example of a fair game. Despite the defeat in the last game against Ireland, the interest of the public and the media in the nevertheless successful national team was very high. 10,000 fans received the national team on Rome's Piazza del Popolo . During the Mid-year Internationals 2007 they lost 6:24 against the Pumas in Mendoza. During the 2007 Rugby Union World Cup , Italy faced New Zealand, Scotland, Romania and Portugal in Group C (which they defeated 83-0 in qualifying ) with the declared aim of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time. During the decisive group game against Scotland, however, Italy failed due to its lack of discipline and lost the game. Chris Paterson scored all of the Scottish points during the 18:16 win, while Italy got the only attempt; Italy ended up in third place in the table.

During the Six Nations 2008 Italy landed back on the last place in the table, but with only three points difference in the penultimate place. They played in close games against Ireland, Wales, England and France and could achieve a victory over Scotland in their last game in Rome (23:20). During the Mid-year Internationals 2008 Italy lost to South Africa, but managed to achieve a surprising 13:12 victory over Argentina. During the end-of-year Rugby Union Internationals in 2008 , the Italians kept up with the Wallabies in Padova, but lost 30:20. A week later Italy were defeated by Argentina 22:14.

Italy's Six Nations 2009 were fateful from the start, after both Probs were injured before the tournament started and the third substitute had to be replaced due to an injury in the opening game against England. National coach Nick Mallett then used the winger Mauro Bergamasco as a prop. Mallett's experiment failed decisively when Bergamasco's mistake resulted in three attempts by the English and he was replaced at half-time; England won the game 36:11. In the second game Italy lost 9:38 against Ireland after a poor performance. The two poor performances were followed by another defeat against Scotland. The Azzurri kept up during their 15:20 loss at Flaminio to a Welsh side that sidelined most of the key players for the crucial game against Ireland the following week. Italy finished bottom of the table for the second year in a row after losing their last game to France. During the Mid-year Internationals 2009 they lost both test matches in Australia against the Wallabies.

During the Six Nations 2010 Italy suffered a clear 11:29 defeat against Ireland before they were defeated by England with a narrow result and then defeated Scotland. Italy were defeated by France and Wales in the last two games of the tournament.

The 2011 Six Nations Championship ended Italy with a 1: 4 result. In the opening game, Ireland beat Italy 13:11 after Ireland scored a drop goal just two minutes before the final whistle. The Azzurri were then able to defeat the title holder France at home with 22:21 and thus their first victory over Les bleus during a Six Nations game. After the final whistle, the English commentator described it as the greatest Italian victory in rugby ever. During the Rugby Union World Cup 2011 , Italy was defeated by Australia and Ireland, but finished the group stage in third place after victories over Russia and the USA.

After a 4-1 result during the Six Nations 2012 , Italy finished the tournament in fifth place after beating Scotland 13-6 in front of 72,000 spectators at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Italy's 15:19 defeat to England was the small difference between a defeat so far. During the tournament, Italy also lost to Wales, Ireland and France.

During the end-of-year Rugby Union Internationals 2012 , Italy played three games, losing two and winning one. The Italians lost 10:42 to New Zealand and 19:22 to Australia, after Italy's half- liaison Luciano Orquera missed a last-minute penalty that would have given Italy's first draw against the Wallabies. Italy scored a victory during the Internationals by defeating Tonga 28:23.

Italy scored their second victory over France during the Six Nations tournament after defeating the French 23:18 in the 2013 Six Nations opening game . This was followed by three defeats against Scotland, Wales and England. In the last game of the tournament, Italy beat Ireland for the first time in a Six Nations game, when they defeated the Irish in front of 75,000 spectators at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome with 22:15. Italy ended up in fourth place, behind Scotland in third place by point difference, making this one of the most successful Six Nations tournaments for the Italians to date. During the end-of-year Rugby Union Internationals 2013 , Italy received Australia in Turin, but lost 20:50, then defeated Fiji in Cremona 37:31 and was then defeated by Argentina 19:14 in Rome.

Italy were defeated in every game during the 2014 Six Nations , including a home defeat 20:21 to Scotland, 7:46 to Ireland and 11:52 to England. During the Mid-year Internationals of 2014 , Italy toured the Asia-Pacific region but lost to Fiji, Japan and Samoa. During the end-of-year Rugby Union Internationals in 2014 they won at home against Samoa, lost by two points against Argentina and then against South Africa.

During the Six Nations 2015 , Italy beat Scotland away 22:19 and avoided the "wooden spoon", but suffered home defeats against France and Wales. The win against Scotland is Italy's last win in a Six Nations tournament to date, and Italy has since lost all games in the tournaments of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, 22 defeats in a row. During the Rugby Union World Cup 2015 , they won against Romania and Canada, but lost to Ireland and France, building on the performance of the three previous World Cups.

After a weak tournament during the Six Nations 2016 , Italy hired the former Irish national and Harlequins coach Conor O'Shea; Together with him, the FIR commissioned development manager Stephen Aboud to set up a youth program to raise the rugby level in the country to a higher level. During the Mid-year Internationals of 2016 , Italy lost to Argentina, but won against the US and Canada.

On November 19, 2016, Italy achieved one of the biggest surprises in international rugby when they defeated the Springboks at home with 20:18 in the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence ; this is Italy's first victory over South Africa in 13 test matches. This was also Italy's first victory over one of the “big” three teams in the southern hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa). During the Mid-year Internationals 2017 they lost to the Wallabies in Brisbane with 27:40 and at the End-of-year Internationals 2018 at home in Padua with 7:26.

During the 2019 Rugby Union World Cup , Italy scored two more wins after defeating Canada and Namibia, but later losing to the Springboks. The last group game against New Zealand, like two other games, was canceled due to the devastation of Typhoon Hagibis and counted as a 0-0 draw. After the World Cup, Conor O'Shea was replaced by South African Franco Smith for the upcoming Six Nations 2020 .

Jersey, logo and nickname

Today's logo of the Italian national rugby team

The former logo of the Italian national rugby team, borrowed from the coat of arms of the House of Savoy

The Italian team does not play in the colors of the national flag , but in blue, the color of the Royal Savoy family. The team's nickname, gli Azzurri , is reminiscent of the sky-blue jersey of the national team. Between 2000 and 2012, Kappa was Italy's kit supplier. The team is currently being equipped by Adidas . At home games you play in a sky blue jersey with the three colors of the Italian flag on the sleeves, white trousers and dark blue socks. When the opposing team traditionally also plays in blue jerseys - such as Argentina, France and Scotland - Italy plays in a white jersey with red and green stripes on the shoulders, blue shorts and white socks. Cariparma, an Italian retail bank and branch of the Crédit Agricole group , has been the main sponsor of the Italian team since 2007.

Before every international match of the Italian national team, Il Canto degli Italiani ( Italian : "The Song of the Italians"), the Italian national anthem, is played. In Italy the hymn is also known as L'inno di Mameli ("Mameli Hymn"), named after the author of the text Goffredo Mameli .

From the early years to the end of the Second World War, the logo of the Italian team was borrowed from the coat of arms of the House of Savoy. Today's logo is reminiscent of the Italian flag (green, white and red), surrounded by bay leaves , which is supposed to remind of Roman history and the victories of Gaius Iulius Caesar . The laurel wreath was worn by the Roman emperors. It was also given to Roman generals in recognition of military victories.

Home stadium

The Rome Olympic Stadium in Rome, currently the home stadium of the Italian national team

Italy versus Wales during the Six Nations 2007 at Stadio Flaminio , Rome

Before joining the Six Nations in 2000, Italy had no permanent home stadium for its national rugby union team and home games were played in various Italian stadiums. Between 2000 and 2011, Italy played all of its Six Nations games at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome. With a capacity of 32,000 seats (8,000 of which are covered), it was the smallest stadium in the Six Nations. The stadium had long been considered too small for the national team and there were regular reports that the team was moving to Genoa or the Olympic Stadium in Rome. These rumors were fueled when the Italian Rugby Federation was disappointed with the promised but never carried out renovations to the stadium. According to original reports, FIR preferred the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence for Six Nations games. In January 2010, FIR announced that the stadium would be renovated and the seating capacity increased to 42,000 spectators. After the city of Rome finally began with the promised renovation work, FIR announced that the Six Nations Games of Italy would continue to take place in Rome and will be played in the Rome Olympic Stadium; they will return to the Flaminio as soon as the stadium is completely renovated. The renovation work on the Stadio Flaminio was originally supposed to be completed in 2014, but little progress has been made so far and as of September 2016 the stadium was still in an unfinished state.

In recent years, rugby matches in Italy have attracted more and more spectators and, unlike in previous years, when most of the spectators were from the visiting team, Italy can now attract more domestic spectators. Since the Italians play their home games in the Olympic Stadium in Rome, the audience has increased on a large scale. The Italian team has been attracting large crowds since 2008, especially during Six Nations games, but also at test matches against the All Blacks.

Besides Argentina, Italy is the only "Tier One" country that has not yet hosted a game during a World Cup, although competition for the Rugby Union World Cup 2015 and the Rugby Union World Cup 2019 has already been made in the past .

International matches

See also : List of test matches of the Italian national rugby union team

Italy's position in the world rugby rankings since October 10, 2003

Italy has (as of the end of July 2020) won 182 of its 450 test matches , which corresponds to a win rate of 40.44%.

country	Games	Won	undecided eliminated	Lost	% Victories
Argentina	22nd	5	1	16	22.73
Australia	18th	0	0	18th	0.00
Belgium	2	2	0	0	100
Bulgaria	1	1	0	0	100
Cook Islands	1	0	0	1	0.00
Germany	20th	15th	1	4th	75.00
England	26th	0	0	26th	0.00
Fiji	12	6th	0	6th	50.00
France	41	3	0	38	7.32
Georgia	2	2	0	0	100
Ireland	31	4th	0	27	12.90
Japan	8th	6th	0	2	75.00
Yugoslavia	3	3	0	0	100
Canada	11	9	0	2	81.82
Croatia	1	1	0	0	100
Madagascar	2	2	0	0	100
Morocco	8th	6th	0	2	75.00
Namibia	4th	2	0	2	50.00
Netherlands	4th	4th	0	0	100
New Zealand	14th	0	0	14th	0.00
Pacific Islanders	1	0	0	1	0.00
Poland	7th	6th	0	1	85.71
Portugal	12	10	1	1	83.33
Romania	42	23	3	16	54.76
Russia	5	5	0	0	100
Samoa	7th	2	0	5	28.57
Scotland	31	8th	0	23	25.81
Zimbabwe	3	3	0	0	100
Soviet Union	14th	4th	1	9	28.57
Spain	27	24	1	2	88.89
South Africa	15th	1	0	14th	6.67
Czech Republic	1	1	0	0	100
Czechoslovakia	11	9	1	1	81.82
Tonga	4th	2	0	2	50.00
Tunisia	3	3	0	0	100
Uruguay	3	3	0	0	100
United States	5	5	0	0	100
Wales	28	2	1	25th	7.14
Total	450	182	10	258	40.44

successes

World championships

Italy has taken part in every World Cup so far but is the only Six Nations team that has never made it past the group stage. While the first three world championships only achieved one victory in the preliminary round, the 1999 world championship wasn’t one. After that, the performance leveled off with two constant wins in the preliminary round. So far this has not been sufficient to qualify for the quarter-finals, but is sufficient to automatically qualify as third in the table for the following World Cup.

• World Championship 1987 : 1 victory in the preliminary round
• World Championship 1991 : 1 victory in the preliminary round
• World Championship 1995 : 1 victory in the preliminary round
• World Cup 1999 : preliminary round (no win)
• World Championship 2003 : 2 wins in the preliminary round
• World Championship 2007 : 2 wins in the preliminary round
• World Championship 2011 : 2 wins in the preliminary round
• World Championship 2015 : 2 wins in the preliminary round
• World Championship 2019 : 2 wins in the preliminary round
• World Championship 2023 : qualified

European championships

• European champions: 1992, 1996
• 2nd place: 1952, 1954, 1967, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1992
• 3rd place: 1966, 1970, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1985

Six Nations

Italy's only annual tournament is the Six Nations, where you compete against five other European teams: England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Since 2007 Italy has played the Giuseppe Garibaldi trophy against France during the Six Nations , which has been received twice so far, in 2011 and 2013.

• First participation in 2000, no tournament victory yet

More test matches

During the amateur era, Italy toured abroad, sometimes for months, to compete against other national teams as well as against regional selections and club teams. Touring national teams were also received in Italy.

The tours according to old tradition came to a standstill around the year 2000. Today there are two time slots available every year for test matches against teams from the southern hemisphere. At the Mid-year Internationals in June, Italy travels to the southern hemisphere, at the End-of-year Internationals in November, teams from the southern hemisphere are welcomed to Italy.

player

Current squad

The following players make up the roster during the Six Nations 2020 :

Back line (backs) player position team International matches Callum Braley Half of the crowd Gloucester RFC 5 Guglielmo Palazzani Half of the crowd Zebra 36 Marcello Violi Half of the crowd Zebra 15th Tommaso Allan Interconnects Benetton Rugby Treviso 54 Carlo Canna Interconnects Zebra 39 Giulio Bisegni Inner three quarters Zebra 14th Tommaso bonuses Inner three quarters Zebra 11 Luca Morisi Inner three quarters Benetton Rugby Treviso 29 Alberto Sgarbi Inner three quarters Benetton Rugby Treviso 29 Mattia Bellini Outer three-quarters Zebra 22nd Tommaso Benvenuti Outer three-quarters Benetton Rugby Treviso 62 Michelangelo Biondelli Outer three-quarters Zebra 0 Edoardo Padovani Outer three-quarters Zebra 24 Leonardo Sarto Outer three-quarters Benetton Rugby Treviso 34 Jayden Hayward Goalkeeper Benetton Rugby Treviso 23 Matteo Minozzi Goalkeeper Wasps 16

Striker (forwards) player position team International matches Luca Bigi hooker Zebra 24 Oliviero Fabiani hooker Zebra 10 Federico Zani hooker Benetton Rugby Treviso 13 Pietro Ceccarelli pier Edinburgh rugby 9 Danilo Fischetti pier Zebra 0 Andrea Lovotti pier Zebra 40 Marco Riccioni pier Benetton Rugby Treviso 7th Giosuè Zilocchi pier Zebra 2 Dean Budd Second row striker Benetton Rugby Treviso 26th Niccolò Cannone Second row striker Benetton Rugby Treviso 0 Federico Ruzza Second row striker Benetton Rugby Treviso 18th David Sisi Second row striker Zebra 9 Alessandro Zanni Second row striker Benetton Rugby Treviso 117 Marco Lazzaroni Winger Benetton Rugby Treviso 4th Giovanni Licata Winger Zebra 8th Johan Meyer Winger Zebra 4th Sebastian Negri Winger Benetton Rugby Treviso 22nd Jake Polledri Winger Gloucester RFC 13 Bram Steyn Winger Benetton Rugby Treviso 36

Known players

Mauro Bergamasco Mirco Bergamasco Stefano Bettarello Marco Bollesan Marco Bortolami David Bortolussi Gonzalo Canale Martin Castrogiovanni Carlo Checchinato

Marcello Cuttitta Denis Dallan Santiago Dellape Diego Domínguez Carlo Festuccia Ivan Francescato Andrea Lo Cicero Andrea Masi Alessandro Moscardi

Fabio Ongaro Sergio Parisse Aaron Persico Salvatore Perugini Ramiro Pez Cristian Stoica Alessandro Troncon Luigi Troiani Paolo Vaccari

No Italian player has yet been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame .

Player statistics

Sergio Parisse (2007)

Tommaso Allan (2018)

(As of July 2020)

Most of the games in the national team rank Surname Period Games 1 Sergio Parisse 2002-2019 142 2 Martin Castrogiovanni 2002-2016 119 3 Alessandro Zanni 2005-2020 119 4th Marco Bortolami 2001-2015 112 5 Mauro Bergamasco 1998-2015 106

Most games as captain rank Surname Period Games 1 Sergio Parisse 2008-2019 94 2 Marco Bortolami 2002-2014 39 3 Marco Bollesan 1968-1975 37 4th Massimo Giovanelli 1992-1999 37 5 Massimo Cuttitta 1993-1999 22nd

Most points scored rank Surname Period Points 1 Diego Domínguez 1991-2003 983 2 Stefano Bettarello 1979-1988 483 3 Tommaso Allan 2013-2020 320 4th Luigi Troiani 1985-1995 294 5 Ramiro Pez 2000-2007 260

Most attempts made rank Surname Period tries 1 Marcello Cuttitta 1987-1999 25th 2 Paolo Vaccari 1991-2003 22nd 3 Carlo Checchinato 1990-2004 21st 4th Manrico Marchetto 1972-1981 21st 5 Alessandro Troncon 1994-2007 19th

Trainer

Pierre Villepreux (1971)

Brad Johnstone (2020)

John Kirwan (2013)

Jacques Brunel (2016)

Surname	Years	Wins in%
Arnaldo Cortese John Thomas	1929–	0
Arturo Cameroni Luigi Bricchi	1930–	100
Luigi Bricchi	1932-1934	75
Luigi Bricchi Julien Saby	1934-1935	100
Julien Saby	1935-1936	0
Luigi Bricchi Michel Boucheron	1936	50
Luigi Bricchi Julien Saby	1937	40
Luigi Bricchi	1938	0
Luigi Bricchi Giuseppe Sessa	1938-1940	50
Romano Bonifazi	1940-1941	50
Luigi Bricchi Franco Chiaserotti	1941-1942	-
Luigi Bricchi Franco Chiaserotti	1942	100
Tommaso Fattori	1947-1949	50
Giorgio Briasco Antonio Radicini	1949-1950	0
Romano Bonifazi	1950	-
Francesco Vinci	1950	-
Renzo Maffioli	1950-1951	-
Renzo Maffioli Julien Saby	1951-1954	66.7
Piermarcello Farinelli Aldo Invernici Umberto Silvestri	1954-1956	62.5
Giulio Fereoli Aldo Invernici Umberto Silvestri	1956-1957	50
Sergio Barilari Aldo Invernici Umberto Silvestri	1957-1958	0
Sergio Barilari Mario Battaglini Aldo Invernici	1958-1960	50
Sergio Barilari Romano Bonifazi	1960–1962	50
Aldo Invernici	1962-1965	28.5
Sergio Barilari Mario Martone	1965-1967	42.8
Aldo Invernici	1967-1970	87.5
Giordano Campice	1970	100
Sergio Barilari	1970-1971	0
Guglielmo Geremia	1971	0
Aldo Invernici	1971-1972	-
Umberto Levorato	1972	25th
Gianni Villa	1972-1975	30th
Roy Bish	1975-1977	53.3
Isidoro Quaglio	1977	50
Gwyn Evans	1977-1988	20th
Pierre Villepreux	1978-1981	41.6
Paolo Paladini Marco sweater	1981-1985	57.14
Marco Bollesan	1985-1988	36.8
Loreto Cucchiarelli	1988-1989	14.3
Loreto Cucchiarelli Bertrand Fourcade	1989	50
Bertrand Fourcade	1990-1993	59.3
Georges Coste	1993-1999	39.6
Massimo Mascioletti	1999	40
Brad Johnstone	1999-2002	18.5
John Kirwan	2002-2005	31.3
Pierre Berbizier	2005-2007	40
Nick Mallett	2007-2011	21.4
Jacques Brunel	2011-2016	22.0
Ireland Conor O'Shea	2016-2019	23.08
Franco Smith	since 2019	0

literature

• Francesco Volpe: Il rugby sottosopra - Grenoble 1997, quando l'Italia ribaltò la Francia e il mondo . Ed .: Absolutely Free. 2014, ISBN 978-88-6858-012-4 .
• Luciano Ravagnani; Pierluigi Fadda: Storia del rugby mondiale dalle origini ad oggi . Ed .: Vallardi. 1992, ISBN 88-87110-92-1 .
• Fabrizio Zupo: Inseguendo il paradiso del rugby . Ed .: Editrice Nutrimenti. 2007, ISBN 88-88389-85-7 .
• Flavia Sferragatta: Le mete dell'allenatore. Prospettive di psicologia dello sport per l'allenatore di rugby . Ed .: FrancoAngeli. 2013, ISBN 88-204-3153-X .

Web links

Commons : Italy National Rugby Union Team  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Federazione Italiana Rugby
• Rugby News ( Memento of May 11, 2008 on the Internet Archive )
• Match statistics of Italy on rugbydata.com

Individual evidence

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50. ↑ La marque Kappa revient dans la partie! digitalsport.fr, archived from the original on September 17, 2016 ; accessed on April 5, 2020 (French). 
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56. ↑ Stadio Flaminio set for re-vamp. ESPNscrum, Jan 30, 2010, archived from the original on May 17, 2020 ; accessed on April 5, 2020 (English). 
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66. ↑ Total matches played as captain (descending). ESPNscrum, accessed June 24, 2020 . 
67. ↑ Total points scored (descending). ESPNscrum, accessed June 24, 2020 . 
68. ↑ Total tries scored (descending). ESPNscrum, accessed June 24, 2020 .