Italy national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
- For the rugby sevens side, see Italian national rugby union team (sevens)
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the sport of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. The team is also known as the Azzurri (the Blues). Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
with England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
, France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
, Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
. They are the current holders of the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy....
played for annually against France.
Italian Rugby really came to prominence in 2000 when it was added to the Five Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
, creating the Six Nations. Initially on the end of some heavy defeats, the side has grown in competitiveness, recording a fourth place finish in 2007, and even in defeat, lop-sided losses are less frequent. The Azzurri have particularly shown admirable results when playing at home in recent years. During the 2011 Six Nations, the side played three home games which resulted in an exhilarating 22–21 victory over France and were only 12 points in combined deficit to securing victories over Ireland and Wales, lost 11–13 and 16–24 respectively. Italy are ranked
IRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
eleventh in the world by the IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
as of 26 September 2011.
Italy have also competed at every Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
since the first tournament in 1987
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
, but have yet to progress beyond the first round. Their best showing thus far has been in 2003
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
,2007
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
and 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
where they managed two wins during the pool stages.
The current head coach is Jacques Brunel
Jacques Brunel
Jacques Brunel was a French organist and composer, active mostly in Italy. It is not known whether he was related to the more known composer Antoine Brumel.-Life:...
. Number eight Sergio Parisse
Sergio Parisse
Sergio Parisse is an Italian Argentine rugby union rugby player. He was the first Italian rugby union player to be nominated for the IRB International player of the year...
is their current captain.
History
The first match played by an Italian XV was in 1911 between US Milanese and Voiron of France. On 25 July of the same year the "Propaganda Committee" was formed which in 1928 became the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR).In May 1929, Italy played their first international losing 9–0 against Spain in Barcelona. After the formation of FIRA
FIRA - Association of European Rugby
The FIRA - Association Européenne de Rugby is the administrative body for rugby union in Europe. It was formed in 1999 to promote, develop, organise and administer the game of rugby in Europe under the authority of the International Rugby Board .The predecessor to FIRA–AER was the Fédération...
in 1934, which brought together the national teams of Italy, France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, Spain
Spain national rugby union team
The Spain national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Spain, representing them at rugby union. Spain have been playing rugby since the late 1920s, playing their first international against Italy in 1929. They have qualified for one Rugby World Cup, in 1999 where they were pooled with...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national rugby union team
The Czechoslovakia national rugby union team was the national rugby team of Czechoslovakia, before the country was split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia...
, Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
and Germany
Germany national rugby union team
Germany is a third-tier Rugby Union playing nation. Germany currently plays at the second level of European rugby but has never managed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup...
Post-1945
The Second World War interrupted Italian rugby union, as it did in other rugby-playing nations. Post-war, there was a desire to return to normal and Italian rugby unionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
entered a new dimension thanks to the help of Allied troops in Italy.
In the 1970s and 1980s rugby union made enormous progress thanks to great foreign players (John Kirwan, Naas Botha, David Campese
David Campese
David Ian Campese , also known as Campo, is a former Australian rugby union player. Campese was capped by the Wallabies 101 times, and held the world record for the most tries in test matches until Daisuke Ohata scored his 65th try playing for Japan on 14 May 2006...
, Michael Lynagh
Michael Lynagh
Michael Lynagh is a former Australian rugby union footballer who played as a Fly-half.Lynagh represented Australia from 1984 to 1995, playing at both inside centre and fly half. Lynagh was capped 72 times for Australia, and was captain from 1993 to 1995. He was the world points scoring record...
) and coaches (Julien Saby, Roy Bish, Greenwood, Nelie Smith) in the Italian championship
Super 10 (Italian premiership)
The withdrawal of Viadana and Benetton Treviso from the league has been compounded by club mergers. Rugby Viadana, Gran Parma and Colorno have merged to form GranDucato Rugby. Overmach Parma and Noceto have merged to form Crociati, both new clubs to be based in Parma. These changes created 2...
. Even foreign coaches were and continue to be chosen for the national team, like Bertrande Fourcade and Georges Coste. In 1973, the national team went on a tour of South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
, coached by ex-Springbok prop Amos Du Plooey. Tours of England and Scotland followed, as well as games against Australia and New Zealand, the masters of their day.
Since 1980, the Italian National side had been pursuing the ambition of playing in an expanded Five Nations Championship. Consistently good results against nations that now play in the European Nations Cup
European Nations Cup (rugby union)
The European Nations Cup is the European Championship for tier 2 and tier 3 rugby union nations. The Championship is split into 7 divisions with 5 or 6 teams in each. The divisions play on a two-year cycle with the teams playing each other both home and away...
(Romania, Spain, Georgia, etc.), and the occasional win against the major nations such as France, Scotland, Wales and Ireland meant that they were often talked about as strong candidates.
The Azzurri took part in the first-ever Rugby World Cup match against New Zealand on 22 May 1987. The match proved a one-sided affair with New Zealand convincing 70–6 winners against a young Italian side. John Kirwan, later to become the Italian national coach, scored one of the tournament’s greatest-ever tries for the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
. Italy did, however, manage to beat Fiji and finished third in their pool; failing to make the finals.
At the 1991 World Cup, Italy were grouped in a tough pool with the likes of England and the All Blacks. They lost both of these games but beat the USA. At the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, Italy came close to beating England; losing 20–27, but recovered to beat Argentina. They finished third in their pool again below England and Western Samoa, but above the Argentines.
The 1990s saw the Italians build a formidable side and record Test victories over Five Nations opposition. In 1996, a deal between British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
and the Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
meant that England home games were exclusively shown on Sky. England were threatened with being expelled from the Five Nations to be replaced by Italy. This threat was never carried out as a deal was worked out.
Italy recorded two consecutive victories over Ireland in 1997; 37–29 on 4 January, at Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road
Lansdowne Road was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union that has been the location of a number of sports stadiums. It was used primarily for rugby union and for association football matches as well as some music concerts...
, and 37–22 on 20 December, in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
. On 22 March 1997 they recorded their first win over France, 40–32, (in Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
). In January 1998, Scotland were the victims with Italy winning 25–21 (in Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
); in the same year in the Rugby World Cup Qualifiers, they narrowly lost 23–15 against England at Huddersfield, but they argued for a try by Alessandro Troncon disallowed by the referee.
At the 1999 World Cup, Italy were drawn with New Zealand for the third time and lost again. They did not win a single pool match and went home before the knock-out stage.
Six Nations
Italy finally joined the Six Nations Championship in 2000 but their admission coincided with the departure of some of their best players. Nevertheless they won their opening game against the reigning champions ScotlandScotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
34–20. Thereafter they struggled to compete against the other nations and their participation was called into question. The 2001 and 2002 tournaments were particularly disappointing as they did not win a single game. Coach Brad Johnstone
Brad Johnstone
Bradley Ronald Johnstone , known as Brad Johnstone, is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and a current coach...
was sacked in 2002 after an alleged show of 'player power'.
John Kirwan
John Kirwan (rugby player)
John James Patrick Kirwan, ONZM, MBE is a New Zealand rugby union footballer, and former All Black, turned coach. With 35 tries in 63 tests for the All Blacks, Kirwan appears on the list of the highest try scorers in Rugby Union history....
was then appointed coach. Italy won two pool games at the 2003 World Cup, defeating both Canada and Tonga, but lost to the All Blacks and Wales.
They managed to get their second Six Nations win in 2003 30–22 against Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and Italy avoided the wooden spoon. They followed up by winning two games at the World Cup, another first, though the tournament was ultimately disappointing as the Welsh gained revenge with a 27–15 success that meant that Italy were the only Six Nations country not to advance to the knock-out stage. Their third win came against Scotland in 2004.
Most of the Italian national team play in club competitions in England and France, which, being at a higher standard to the Italian league allows the side to make consistent progression. However, this is not always seen through results and it will undoubtedly be a long time before they win their first Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
. More and more Italians are coming to watch rugby union games and whereas before most of the fans at the Stadio Flaminio
Stadio Flaminio
The Stadio Flaminio is a stadium in Rome. It lies along the Via Flaminia, three kilometres northwest of the city centre, 300 metres away from the Parco di Villa Glori....
were away fans, now Italy has a good home crowd. One cause for optimism in Italian rugby is that their star players tend to be young and are likely to improve with time. Moreover, the budget of F.I.R. has grown impressively: currently €21 million is available.
Italy, along with other nations, had made good use of IRB rules which allowed them to select foreign born players if they had Italian ancestry or had lived in Italy for a qualifying period of 3 years. From 2004 they announced that they would only pick three such 'non-Italians' per team in order to develop their own domestic players.
In 2005 Italy finished bottom of the table again and failed to win a single game. Kirwan was sacked and replaced with Pierre Berbizier
Pierre Berbizier
Pierre Berbizier is a French former rugby union footballer, and currently head coach of Top 14 side Racing Métro. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played 56 times for France.-Biography:Berbizier was born in Saint-Gaudens...
. Italy then went on a tour of Argentina where they surprised many by beating the Pumas 30–29 and drawing the series 1–1 (the only 2005 victory of a northern hemisphere team visiting a southern hemisphere team). However the Pumas had their revenge when they visited Genoa and beat Italy 39–22.
In the 2006 Six Nations Championship the Italian team performed strongly against every team, leading against both England and France in the first half, but lost their first three games. They did, however, get a creditable 18–18 draw away to Wales, their first ever away point in the tournament, and were unlucky not to draw with Scotland in Rome in the final game, losing 10–13 courtesy of a late Scottish penalty.
In the 2007 Six Nations Championship, Italy started poorly, losing to France 3–39. However, Italy's performance improved considerably, and they held reigning World champions England to a 20–7 result at Twickenham, with the Italian's Alessandro Troncon
Alessandro Troncon
Alessandro Troncon is a former Italian rugby union player.Troncon has made more test appearances than any other player in Italian rugby union history. The veteran scrum-half made his Italy debut against Spain in 1994 and has played alongside fly-half Diego Dominguez on more than 50 occasions...
being named man of the match. Italy followed with a stunning start to their match at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
against Scotland, with Mauro Bergamasco
Mauro Bergamasco
Mauro Bergamasco is an Italian rugby union footballer. He predominantly plays as an open-side flanker, although his versatility means has also played a number of international games on the wing, and started at scrum-half in an infamously error-prone performance...
scoring a try courtesy of a charged-down kick in the first minute, and Andrea Scanavacca
Andrea Scanavacca
Andrea "Pepe" Scanavacca is a former Italian rugby union footballer.His usual position was as a fly half.He spent most of his club career with Rovigo which he entered at the age of 6....
and Kaine Robertson
Kaine Robertson
Paul Kaine Robertson Paul Kaine Robertson Paul Kaine Robertson (born 29 October 1980 in Auckland is a rugby union player from New Zealand who plays rugby union for Aironi, and international rugby for Italy.Robertson moved to Italy in 1998....
scoring interception tries within the next five. Scotland's shocking start gifted Italy a 21–0 lead after 7 minutes, and the Azzurri went on to record a 37–17 victory; their first-ever away win in the Six Nations. Italy's next match was against Wales in Rome. In a close match, Bergamasco scored a try in the last two minutes to give a winning score of 23–20, their second Six Nations victory over Wales, first consecutive victory in the competition and help them achieve their highest-ever position in the competition. However, the victory was not without controversy, as a last-minute penalty over the line by Wales was later deemed out of time by referee Chris White. Wales were told by White there was "10 seconds" remaining but as Wales kicked to touch, under the instruction of the TMO, White blew the whistle for full-time. They therefore could have taken a penalty kick to draw the game.
The domestic interest in rugby reached new heights with Italy's new success front page media coverage and the sport being held up as a model of fair play. Media and public interest in the national team was very high during the side's new found success. Despite losing their last game to Ireland, the headline on page one of the national sport newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport
La Gazzetta dello Sport
La Gazzetta dello Sport is an Italian newspaper dedicated to coverage of various sports. It was first published on April 3, 1896, allowing it to cover the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens...
read "To lose like this is beautiful," and 10,000 fans later greeted the national team at Rome's Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo
Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the poplars after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name.The piazza lies inside the northern...
.
The 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
saw the Italians again finish in last place, albeit by only a three point margin. They took part in close matches against Ireland, England and France respectively and managed a sole victory, defeating Scotland 23–20 in Rome in the last round of matches. In the summer tests they lost to South Africa but again managed to surprise 3rd ranked Argentina with a 13–12 victory. At the 2008 end of year spring tour Italy pushed the Wallabies all the way in their clash in Padova but the Australians eventually went on to win 30 points to 20. A week later the Italians were defeated by Argentina, 14–22. Since then the Italian team has dropped in the IRB World Rankings
IRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
to 11th spot, behind Fiji.
Italy's 2009 Six Nations
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
campaign was star-crossed almost from the beginning, with both specialist scrum-halves ruled out of the entire competition before a ball was kicked and a third alternative ruled out of the opener at England due to injury. Head coach Nick Mallett then decided to try Mauro Bergamasco, normally a flanker, at scrum-half. Mallett's gamble failed in epic fashion, with Bergamasco's mistakes leading to three England tries before he was replaced at the half; England went on to win 36–11. Bergamasco went back to flanker for the rest of the tournament. Italy finished in last place for the second straight year, this time without a single win; the Azzurri came within 20 points only once, in their 20–15 loss at the Flaminio to a Wales side resting many of its key players for the championship decider against Ireland.
In the 2010 Six Nations Championship
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
, Italy were well beaten by Ireland before narrowly losing to England and defeating Scotland (both at home).
In the opening match of the 2011 Six Nations Championship
2011 Six Nations Championship
The 2011 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2011 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 12th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy,...
, Italy was beaten by Ireland 11–13 at home. The match was incredibly close and was only won by Ireland less than 2 minutes before the final whistle with a drop goal. This followed a 75th-minute try by Italy that was unfortunately (for Italy) not converted which otherwise would have led to a draw. More importantly, however, and reflective of the recent improvements in Italian Rugby, the Azzurri claimed a 22–21 home victory over the reigning Six Nations champions, France, gaining Italy's first competitive win over France in 31 games – as well as their first ever win over France in a Six Nations game. At the final blow of the whistle, the English language commentator declared it the greatest win in Italian rugby history thus far.
Strip
Italy play in blue jerseys; as of 2007, the strip is manufactured by KappaKappa (company)
Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...
and the Italian bank Cariparma (Cassa di Risparmio di Parma e Piacenza S.p.A.) is the shirt sponsor.
Six Nations
Since entering the Six Nations ChampionshipSix Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
in 2000, Italy have yet to win the tournament. Italy got off to a positive start to the Six Nations in their first year
2000 Six Nations Championship
The 2000 Six Nations Championship was the first series of the Six Nations Championship, following the inclusion of Italy into the Five Nations championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-sixth series of the northern hemisphere...
; defeating Scotland in their first match of competition. Italy finished fifth in the 2003 competition
2003 Six Nations Championship
The 2003 Six Nations Championship was the fourth series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
above Wales. The following year Italy managed to finish fifth again, above Scotland in the final standings. In the 2007 Six Nations
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
Italy defeated Scotland at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
for their first win away from home (Rome) in the competition. Two weeks later Italy defeated Wales for the second time in the history of the tournament in Rome: it was the first time the team won two games in the championship, and finished in 4th place. The winner of the Italy-France game is also awarded the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy....
. Italy recorded their first Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy victory on 12 March 2011 with a thrilling 22–21 win.
World Cup
Italy have competed at every Rugby World CupRugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
since the competition's inception in 1987
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
. Italy finished third in their pool at their first World Cup, defeating Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
, but not making the finals. They did not make the finals in 1991
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
, grouped in a tough pool with the likes of England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
and the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
. At the 1995 World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
in South Africa, they finished behind England and Western Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
, but above Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
in their pool.
In 1999
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
they did not make the finals, with their defeats to the All Blacks and Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
. Italy won two pool games at the 2003 World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
, defeating both Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
and Tonga, but lost to the All Blacks and Wales. Italy played the Rugby World Cup 2007
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in Pool C, against New Zealand, Scotland, Romania and Portugal (who had been beaten 83–0 by Italy in the qualifiers) and had a very good chance of making the quarter finals for the first time. However, Italy were undone by indiscipline in the crucial group match against Scotland in St. Etienne. Chris Paterson kicked all of Scotland's points in an 18–16 victory, despite Italy crossing the line for the game's only try. Bortolussi missed a match-winning kick in an even contest that Scotland arguably deserved to win in the end.
European championships
Before 2000, Italy was one of the leading European teams outside the Five Nations, along with RomaniaRomania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
, and for a while the USSR
Soviet Union national rugby union team
The USSR national rugby union team was a sporting side that represented the Soviet Union in rugby union until the early 1990s.-History:Although such tournaments as the Soviet Cup and the Soviet Championship existed, rugby never became a major sport in the USSR...
.
Italy competed in the original European Championships from 1936–38, but the Second World War meant that the tournament would not resume until 1952. Italy then competed in these tournaments from 1952–2000. Only one the victory in 1995–1997 FIRA Trophy
1995–1997 FIRA Trophy
The 1994-97 "FIRA Trophy" was arranged again with a new format.Due the work to prepare the 1995 Rugby World Cup, France, Italy an Romania weren't able to participate in 1994-95 season to any competition, so for that season was organized a "Preliminary Tournament", with other ten team.The better...
| Team | First place | Second place | Third place |
| 1 | 9 | 8 |
Thirties wins
| Year | Host city | Winner | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Berlin | |||
| 1937 | Paris |
The fifties: the European Cup, Italian positions
| Year | Winner | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | |||
| 1954 |
The Nations Cup 1966–1973
| Year | Winner | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965/1966 | |||
| 1966/1967 | |||
| 1969/1970 |
The FIRA Trophy 1974–1997
| Year | Winner | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974/1975 | |||
| 1975/1976 | |||
| 1976/1977 | |||
| 1979/1980 | |||
| 1981/1982 | |||
| 1982/1983 | |||
| 1983/1984 | |||
| 1984/1985 | |||
| 1990/1992 | |||
| 1992/1994 | |||
| 1995/1997 | |||
Current squad
Nick Mallett announced his 30-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
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- Caps updated before test matches.
Head Coach: Nick Mallett
Nick Mallett
Nicholas Vivian Howard Mallett is a former South African rugby union player who was until recently the head coach of the Italian national team, previously replacing Pierre Berbizier on 3 October 2007...
Notable players
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Coaches
| Name | From | to | P | W | D | L | % W/P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Arnaldo Cortese John Thomas |
20 May 1929 | – | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Arturo Cameroni Luigi Bricchi |
29 May 1930 | – | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Luigi Bricchi |
1 November 1932 | 26 December 1934 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 75 |
Luigi Bricchi Julien Saby |
26 December 1934 | 7 April 1935 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Julien Saby |
7 April 1935 | 14 May 1936 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Luigi Bricchi |
14 May 1936 | 16 May 1936 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Luigi Bricchi Julien Saby |
1 January 1937 | 17 October 1937 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40 |
| Luigi Bricchi |
6 March 1938 | 20 November 1938 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Luigi Bricchi Giuseppe Sessa |
20 November 1938 | 19 March 1940 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Romano Bonifazi |
19 March 1940 | 9 February 1941 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Luigi Bricchi Franco Chiaserotti |
9 February 1941 | 2 May 1942 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Luigi Bricchi Franco Chiaserotti |
2 May 1942 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | |
| Tommaso Fattori |
18 May 1947 | 27 March 1949 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Giorgio Briasco Antonio Radicini |
27 March 1949 | 26 February 1950 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Romano Bonifazi |
26 February 1950 | 29 July 1950 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Francesco Vinci |
29 July 1950 | 4 October 1950 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Renzo Maffioli |
4 October 1950 | 25 February 1951 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Renzo Maffioli Julien Saby |
25 February 1951 | 1º August 1954 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 66,7 |
| Piermarcello Farinelli Aldo Invernici Umberto Silvestri |
1 August 1954 | 22 December 1956 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 62,5 |
| Giulio Fereoli Aldo Invernici Umberto Silvestri |
22 December 1956 | 8 December 1957 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Sergio Barilari Aldo Invernici Umberto Silvestri |
8 December 1957 | 19 July 1958 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sergio Barilari Mario Battaglini Aldo Invernici |
19 July 1958 | 10 April 1960 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Sergio Barilari Romano Bonifazi |
10 April 1960 | 22 April 1962 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50 |
| Aldo Invernici |
22 April 1962 | 8 December 1965 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 28,5 |
| Sergio Barilari Mario Martone |
8 December 1965 | 28 October 1967 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 42,8 |
| Aldo Invernici |
28 October 1967 | 24 May 1970 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 87,5 |
| Giordano Campice |
24 May 1970 | 25 October 1970 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Sergio Barilari |
25 October 1970 | 10 April 1971 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Guglielmo Geremia |
11 April 1971 | 27 May 1971 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Aldo Invernici |
28 May 1971 | 19 February 1972 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Umberto Levorato |
20 February 1972 | 25 November 1972 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25 |
| Gianni Villa |
26 November 1972 | 14 February 1975 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 30 |
 Roy Bish |
15 February 1975 | 1º April 1977 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 53,3 |
| Isidoro Quaglio |
2 April 1977 | 1º May 1977 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Gwyn Evans Gwyn Evans Gwyn Evans is a former international rugby union player. In 1983 he toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions. He played club rugby for Maesteg RFC.-Notes:... |
23 October 1977 | 23 October 1978 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 20 |
| Pierre Villepreux Pierre Villepreux Pierre Villepreux is a former French rugby union player and coach. He played at full back and fly half. He won 34 caps for France between 1967 and 1972.... |
24 October 1978 | 24 October 1981 | 24 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 41,6 |
| Paolo Paladini Marco Pulli |
25 October 1981 | 9 November 1985 | 28 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 57,14 |
| Marco Bollesan Marco Bollesan Marco Bollesan is an Italian former rugby union player, coach and manager.-Biography:Born in Chioggia, he moved to Genoa; later he got a job as iron worker at the Italsider and started playing rugby as senior at the CUS Genoa Rugby .During the conscription period he practiced rowing for the... |
10 November 1985 | 4 November 1988 | 19 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 36,8 |
| Loreto Cucchiarelli Loreto Cucchiarelli Loreto Cucchiarelli is an Italian former rugby union player and a current coach. He played as flanker.-Biography:Cucchiarelli was born in Borgorose, in the province of Rieti. He played for L'Aquila Rugby, where he won the team first National Championship title in 1966/67.He had 2 caps for Italy,... |
5 November 1988 | 29 September 1989 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 14,3 |
| Loreto Cucchiarelli Loreto Cucchiarelli Loreto Cucchiarelli is an Italian former rugby union player and a current coach. He played as flanker.-Biography:Cucchiarelli was born in Borgorose, in the province of Rieti. He played for L'Aquila Rugby, where he won the team first National Championship title in 1966/67.He had 2 caps for Italy,... Bertrand FourcadeBertrand Fourcade Bertrand Fourcade is a former French rugby union player, a current coach and a sports director. He played as a fullback.... |
29 September 1989 | 31 december 1989 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| Bertrand Fourcade Bertrand Fourcade Bertrand Fourcade is a former French rugby union player, a current coach and a sports director. He played as a fullback.... |
1 January 1990 | 30 August 1993 | 27 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 59,3 |
| Georges Coste Georges Coste Georges Coste is a French rugby union coach and former player.-Biography:Coste debuted playing as fly half in the local club U.S.A. Perpignan, and scored several caps for French junior national teams before his career was halted by a serious injury.As a coach, he trained U.S.A... |
31 August 1993 | 19 June 1999 | 48 | 19 | 1 | 28 | 39,6 |
| Massimo Mascioletti Massimo Mascioletti Massimo Mascioletti is an Italian rugby union coach and a former player. He used to play as a wing and as a centre.... |
20 June 1999 | 19 November 1999 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 40 |
 Brad JohnstoneBrad Johnstone Bradley Ronald Johnstone , known as Brad Johnstone, is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and a current coach... |
20 November 1999 | 26 April 2002 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 18,5 |
| John Kirwan |
27 April 2002 | 18 April 2005 | 32 | 10 | 0 | 22 | 31,3 |
| Pierre Berbizier Pierre Berbizier Pierre Berbizier is a French former rugby union footballer, and currently head coach of Top 14 side Racing Métro. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played 56 times for France.-Biography:Berbizier was born in Saint-Gaudens... |
19 April 2005 | 30 September 2007 | 30 | 12 | 1 | 17 | 40 |
 Nick MallettNick Mallett Nicholas Vivian Howard Mallett is a former South African rugby union player who was until recently the head coach of the Italian national team, previously replacing Pierre Berbizier on 3 October 2007... |
3 October 2007 | 30 October 2011 | 42 | 9 | 0 | 33 | 21,4 |
| Jacques Brunel Jacques Brunel (rugby player) Jacques Brunel is a French rugby union former player who is currently the head coach of the Italian national team replacing Nick Mallet on 3 November 2011.-The beginning:... |
1 November 2011 | ||||||
Individual records
- Most selections:
- Alessandro TronconAlessandro TronconAlessandro Troncon is a former Italian rugby union player.Troncon has made more test appearances than any other player in Italian rugby union history. The veteran scrum-half made his Italy debut against Spain in 1994 and has played alongside fly-half Diego Dominguez on more than 50 occasions...
– 101 - Andrea Lo CiceroAndrea Lo CiceroAndrea Lo Cicero is an Italian rugby union footballer.Born in Catania, Sicily, Lo Cicero began his professional career in the town of his birth with Amatori Catania. Later he moved to Bologna and then to Rugby Rovigo, winning his first Italian Championship in 2000 with Rugby Roma...
– 89 - Marco BortolamiMarco BortolamiMarco Bortolami is an Italian international rugby union player, playing club rugby for Aironi in the Celtic League. In January 2008 he was replaced as captain of Italy's national team....
– 87
- Most tries:
- Marcello CuttittaMarcello CuttittaMarcello Cuttitta is a former Italian rugby union player, who went into coaching career after retirement.His role was wing....
– 25 - Paolo VaccariPaolo VaccariPaolo Vaccari is an Italian former rugby union player who was a versatile back: he used to play as Centre, Wing or Full-back.He is currently a sports manager.-Biography:...
– 22 - Carlo ChecchinatoCarlo ChecchinatoCarlo Checchinato was an Italian rugby union player and is the current team manager for the Italian national team....
– 21
- Most points:
- Diego DominguezDiego DominguezDiego Dominguez is a former Argentine rugby union fly-half who played for Argentina and Italy, winning 74 caps for the latter....
– 983 - Stefano BettarelloStefano BettarelloStefano Bettarello is an Italian former rugby player. He played as a fly-half.He was one of the best Italian players of his generation, having 55 caps for the Italian national team, with 7 tries, 46 conversions, 104 penalties and 17 drop goals, 483 points in aggregate. He played at the FIRA...
– 483 - Luigi TroianiLuigi TroianiLuigi Rosario Troiani is an Italian rugby player. He usually played as a fullback and sometimes as a scrum-half....
– 294
See also
- Italy at the team sports international competitionsItaly at the team sports international competitionsThe Italy at the team sports international competitions has achieved 66 victories at the Olympic Games , World Championship and European Championships . For team sports are the disciplines of the Olympic program...
- Rugby union in ItalyRugby union in ItalyRugby union was introduced to Italy in the early 1900s. The Super 10 competition is the main national club competition. The two professional teams in the country are active in Pro12 and also participate in the Heineken Cup. Four italian clubs from the national championship compete in the European...
- Magners League
- Super 10Super 10 (Italian premiership)The withdrawal of Viadana and Benetton Treviso from the league has been compounded by club mergers. Rugby Viadana, Gran Parma and Colorno have merged to form GranDucato Rugby. Overmach Parma and Noceto have merged to form Crociati, both new clubs to be based in Parma. These changes created 2...
- Giuseppe Garibaldi TrophyGiuseppe Garibaldi TrophyThe Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy....
- Italy national rugby league teamItaly national rugby league teamThe Italy national rugby league team represents Italy in international rugby league football. The team dates back from the 1950s after the formation of a domestic competition in the country, and in the 1960s they played Australia, France and a number of English teams.The game disappeared in Italy...