Jump to:
- Search box
- Navigation
- Main Content
Win a T-shirt
This week's edition of our newsletter is packed with giveaways!
Team tracker
We give you an ideal tool to compare all the Super Rugby team announcements.
Missing Men
Can you solve the Missing Men? Today, Ulster's class of 2005 versus Leinster.
Loose Pass
This week covers Australia, planning and a curious coaching situation.
Latest Lions news
All of the latest news surrounding the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia.
Italy
Sorry, this story is unavailable
- Italy Fixtures
| Fixture | Details |
|---|---|
| All times are local | |
| International Match | |
| Saturday , June 8 | |
| South Africa vs Italy | 17:00 |
| More International Match fixtures | |
- Table
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales | 5 | 8 |
| 2 | England | 5 | 8 |
| 3 | Scotland | 5 | 4 |
| 4 | Italy | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Ireland | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | France | 5 | 3 |
Around Planet Rugby
-
Competitions
Win games consoles, holidays, tickets to sporting events and much more with Planet Rugby
-
Facebook
Sign up to the Planet Rugby Facebook fan page
-
Twitter
Follow Planet Rugby updates on Twitter
Comments
Lucasrg says...
Indeed....Parma would be the greatest achievement of power for pope Giancarlo Dondi from Parma.
At least is a lovely city with exceptional cuisine perky women
Posted 23:55 25th May 2012
Piotr says...
in the end it is going to be Parma, the city where the new FIR's run team will be based.
Posted 15:37 25th May 2012
Lucasrg says...
Yes I agree with macte and melkdave. I think so the same.
I post this sometime ago here on PR:
There is un "Elite" list made by the FIR that basically keep tracking all "big" registered players under 18 years old till they reach the said age. I dunno exactly the criteria they set but basically they esclude from national interest (aka Accademia del Rugby) all "small" players.
This could jeopardize many young talents that will resort into taking steroids. South Africa could be a valid example...as much as I love their rugby.
I guess we all have to wait 10 more years or so to see some changing
Posted 21:42 23rd May 2012
melkdave says...
I certinally think ROME is the logical choice for the new Pro12 team .A big city with the potential to grow a big fan base.all the infastructure all ready in place.Pro 12 teams apart from Munster-Leinster and then only for big games, arnt renowned for having a big travaling fan base .But Rome does offer alot more than a rugby match and more than most cities,for things to do and look at ect.A weekend away with the missus to Rome for a rugby match and maybe more ,i feel would at least stop the ball and chain ect complaining about being a rugby widow at the weekends lol
Posted 20:33 22nd May 2012
macte says...
A franchise run directly by the FIR? Come on, you must be joking.
Dondi and his slaves still choose players only on a weight/height basis.
No matter if they think a rugby ball is just a water melon made by Mitre.
Think at all the world class players under 185cm, and think that they'd have no chance to play for Italy.
Until Dondi is around, Italian rugby will go nowhere (wherever you might play).
Posted 19:14 22nd May 2012
Piotr says...
My bet where the new team will play is on Calvisano: FIR is understood to look at the North rather than Rome, Parma could be a choice but currently the pitch would not qualify to play international matches, Viadana (formerly Aironi) could take Calvisano's spot in the Italian championship without causing big problems, Calvisano has a strong support base and although in the middle of nowhere is not far from Brescia.
Posted 16:40 22nd May 2012
dan73 says...
@ curates_egg
Volleyball is popular over here because schools mostly have only indoor gyms, no space outside for rubgy or other sports (soccer is popular because you can play anywhere!).
The whole franchise story was wrong from the start: someone just HAD to have a "superclub". There should have been two franchises: one for northern and one for central and southern Italy. You all know how things went...
Posted 15:51 22nd May 2012
Carpelone says...
I live in Rome, but I promise you that a Celtic League fixture in L'Aquila will be easily a sold out. A federal franchise (an Italian experimental side, a sort of Italy A) can be sold very well in Roma. It is a matter of marketing it proactively. More than 50% of the 75.000 crowd at the Stadio Olimpico were Romans.
Local rugby is important to drive youngsters into it. Professional rugby, which is complementary, must have big audience. Have a look at New Zealand provincial and franchise systems.
Posted 15:45 22nd May 2012
seapointer says...
from an outsider would the infrastructure not be in place if rome was picked i.e stadio flaminio, airport for travelling fans, large city fan base and a good destination for travelling fans !!!! in terms of spreading the game maybe the rise of the ill fated Rome Pretorian Rugby team might in years to come to do more to spread the word of rugby than having another team based in the north. Surley Treviso can represent the north as the northern "province" ...or maybe thats to irish thinking of me
Posted 15:19 22nd May 2012
Lucasrg says...
The thing is that until "pope" Giancarlo Dondi will rule FIR, not much will be different.
I prefer a Roman destination by far, for all it has been mentioned earlier. (does it count that I grew up in Rome?! oops).
Or a Tuscany based team. Rugby is growing really strong there. 10 years ago there was, for instances just one Serie B team, now there are 3 more independent teams with at least 3 man sides.
Not to mention the beauty of a beautiful region that everyone loves.
Back to Viadana, I hope they will do good although I do have my doubts.
...or maybe another Italian side for 2014?
Posted 13:54 22nd May 2012
curates_egg says...
On the schools thing - which is a valid and consistently raised point - I understood that sport cannot be played/promoted by a school. This is certainly the case in Venetto. They are only allowed to have general PE - hence the bizarre popularity of volleyball.
Posted 13:46 22nd May 2012
curates_egg says...
@Carpelone not living there but do take an interest because I think it is very important that the game propoerly develops there. I have friends in a couple of the clubs at different levels - the general rugby punters opinion seems to be to base the franchise in either Calvisano, Rovigo or Viadana.
Given you face the same problems at each of those locations, the FIR should just pick one and stick with it - investing the proper effort and finances into it. The problem is now they have tried with one and axed them (seriously pissing off the club and with good reason). Would the others get burnt too?
It is hard to know what the right anser is but 2 years was not enough time to give Viadana. All the more so because the financial problems were not of their own making for a large part.
The suits/farts/alickadoos always know best though.
Posted 13:44 22nd May 2012
Carpelone says...
Let's hope that some of the old farts currently running the business will read our opinion and move their fat arses from their chairs.
Posted 12:04 22nd May 2012
Carpelone says...
@ curates_egg
Are you living in Italy? Your knowledge of the rugby status is outstanding.
However, I retain a different view.
Rome has four major clubs (ok, not big ones) with some (not big) fan communities, which is something. People from Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow would certainly travel to Rome with pleasure. As you may know, there are loads of expats here. In addition, if only the federation would promote the match at school level, you could have consistently a decent audience. This is Roma, which is not fa from L'Aquila and not far from Tuscany or Campania (other regions with some good traditions).
While I agree on your picture of the current situation, I do feel that FIR need to be innovative to get things going and be more oriented to market the game..
Posted 12:03 22nd May 2012
curates_egg says...
@Carpelone there are pretty good practical reasons why a roadshow wouldn't work.
However, apart from all the practical problems, looking at any successful professional rugby outfits, the key seems to be developing a strong local base.
Viadana has consistently drawn significantly higher attendances than other clubs. It is hard to think where the franchise could be based and have guaranteed higher attendance. The logical second choice (from a rugby and rugby support base perspective) is Calvisano but it is also a difficult location for all the away fans who post on PR. The reality is that rugby is played and watched in Calvisano, Rovigo, Viadana...
Rome does not have a local support base and - in these tightened economic times - it is completely unrealistic to think that a club will be sustained by a few hundred travelling supporters (in reality very few Pro12 clubs have any travelling support).
Effort should have been invested into trying to establish the Aironi franchise as financially viable (its core problem came from the failure of its main sponsor - Banca Montepaschi - to deliver any sponsorship money).
Moving the franchise elsewhere is a flawed and knee-jerk reaction. You will face exactly the same problems if you base it in the other logical places to develop a franchise (Calvisano, Rovigo).
In culo la ballena!
Posted 09:47 22nd May 2012
Carpelone says...
Great news.
But do you know where the federal franchise will play?
Viadana, unconceivable. Everybody now understands why Italian rugby is failing to reach the same level as the other 6N's countries.
The federal franchise should be a roadshow and play in Roma, L'Aquila, Prato, Viadana (why not?) and be an advert for the Italian rugby.
Posted 08:53 22nd May 2012