Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team (Italian: Squadra nazionale italiana di rugby) represents Italy in men's international rugby union. The team is known as gli Azzurri (the light-blues). Savoy blue is the common colour of the national teams representing Italy, as it is the traditional colour of the royal House of Savoy which reigned over the Kingdom of Italy from 1860 to 1946.
| Nickname(s) | Gli Azzurri (The Blues) |
|---|---|
| Union | Italian Rugby Federation |
| Head coach | Kieran Crowley |
| Captain | Michele Lamaro |
| Most caps | Sergio Parisse (142) |
| Top scorer | Diego Domínguez (983) |
| Top try scorer | Marcello Cuttitta (26) |
| Home stadium | Stadio Olimpico |
| World Rugby ranking | |
| Current | 11 (as of 14 November 2022) |
| Highest | 8 (2007) |
| Lowest | 15 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) |
| First international | |
| Spain 9–0 Italy (Barcelona, Spain; 20 May 1929) | |
| Biggest win | |
| Italy 104–8 Czech Republic (Viadana, Italy, 18 May 1994) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| South Africa 101–0 Italy (Durban, South Africa, 19 June 1999) | |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 10 (First in 1987) |
| Best result | Pool stage (1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019) |
| Website | federugby.it |
Italy has played international rugby since 1929, and for decades was considered one of the best European teams outside the Five Nations Championship. Since 2000, Italy has competed annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In 2013, they were holders of the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy which is played annually between Italy and France. Italy is ranked 12th in the world by the IRB as of 13th February 2023.
Italian rugby rose to prominence in 2000 when it was added to the Five Nations, creating the Six Nations. Initially on the receiving end of some heavy defeats, the side grew in competitiveness, recording a fourth-place finish in 2007 and 2013, and one-sided defeats became less frequent. The Azzurri showed respectable results when playing at home in the early 2010s: they defeated France 22–21 in the 2011 Six Nations; and during the 2013 Six Nations, they again beat France 23–18,[1] also defeating Ireland 22–15.[2] Until 19 March 2022, Italy had not won a Six Nations game since beating Scotland in 2015. However, on 19 March, Edoardo Padovani scored a last minute try against Wales, to earn Italy their first win in 36 games, as well as their first away win against Wales and third away win in the tournament.
Italy has competed at every Rugby World Cup since the first tournament in 1987, where Italy played the inaugural game against New Zealand, but is yet to progress beyond the first round. The team has developed a reputation for being a consistent middle player at the tournament. Italy's results since the inception of a new group stage formula in 2003 have consistently followed a pattern of two wins against Tier 2 teams and two losses against Tier 1 ones (although in 2019, the match against New Zealand was cancelled due to Hagibis typhoon). The current head coach is Kieran Crowley, and the captain is currently Michele Lamaro.[3]
History
Early history: 1911–34
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) (Italian Rugby Federation).
In May 1929, Italy played their first international losing 0–9 against Spain in Barcelona. In 1934, Italy was one of the founder members of FIRA, today's Rugby Europe; the others were France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Catalonia, Romania, Holland and Germany.[4]
1945–85
World War II meant a hiatus for Italian rugby union, as it did in other rugby-playing nations. Post-war, there was a desire to return to normal and Italian rugby union 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, Michael Lynagh) and coaches (Julien Saby, Roy Bish, Greenwood, Nelie Smith) in the Italian championship. 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, 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. In 1978, Italy first played Argentina at Rovigo, winning 19–6.
1986–99
Since the mid-1980s, Italy had been pursuing the ambition of playing in an expanded Five Nations Championship. Consistently winning against nations that now play in the European Nations Cup (Romania, Spain, Georgia, etc.), and good results against the major nations such as France, Scotland, Wales and Ireland meant that they were often talked as strong candidates.[5]
In 1986, Italy hosted an England XV squad in Rome, drawing 15–15. 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 Italy side. John Kirwan, later to become the Italy national coach, scored one of the tournament's greatest-ever tries for the All Blacks. Italy beat Fiji but lost to Argentina and finished third in their pool, failing to make the finals. In 1988, they played Ireland for the first time.
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. Italy first played Wales in 1994. 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 late 1990s saw the Italians build a formidable side and record Test victories over Five Nations opposition. In 1996, a deal between British Sky Broadcasting and the Rugby Football Union 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.
In 1996, Italy toured England, Wales and for the first time Scotland, losing all matches. The team recorded two consecutive victories over Ireland in 1997; 37–29 on 4 January, at Lansdowne Road, and 37–22 on 20 December, in Bologna.[6] On 22 March 1997 they recorded their first win over France, 40–32, (in Grenoble). In January 1998, Scotland were the victims with Italy winning 25–21 (in Treviso); in the same year in the Rugby World Cup Qualifiers, they narrowly lost 15–23 against England at Huddersfield, but they argued for a try by Alessandro Troncon disallowed by the referee.[7]
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.[8]
Six Nations era: 2000–present
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 Scotland 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 was sacked in 2002 after an alleged show of 'player power'.
John Kirwan was then appointed coach. They managed to win their second Six Nations game in 2003, a 30–22 victory over Wales, thus avoiding the wooden spoon. They followed up by winning two games at the World Cup, another first. The tournament was, however, ultimately disappointing as the Welsh gained revenge with a 27–15 success. This, coupled with defeat against New Zealand, that meant that Italy were the only Six Nations country not to advance to the knock-out stage. Their third Six Nations win came against Scotland in 2004.
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 three 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 the 2005 Six Nations Italy finished bottom of the table again and failed to win a single game. Kirwan was sacked and replaced with Pierre Berbizier. 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 Italy 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 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, and they held England to a 20–7 result at Twickenham. Italy followed with a stunning start to their match at Murrayfield against Scotland, scoring three quick tries to give Italy a 21–0 lead after seven minutes, and the Azzurri went on to a 37–17 victory; their first-ever away win in the Six Nations. Italy's next match was against Wales in Rome, with Italy winning 23–20, for their first consecutive victories in the competition and help them achieve their highest-ever position in the competition. 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.[9] Media and public interest in the national team was very high during the side's newfound success and on the final day a win could have seen them win their first ever six nations tournament,[9] despite losing their last game to Ireland. 10,000 fans later greeted the national team at Rome's Piazza del Popolo.[9]
The 2008 Six Nations Championship saw Italy again finish in last place, albeit by only a three-point margin. They took part in close matches against Ireland, Wales England and France respectively and managed a sole victory, defeating Scotland 23–20 in Rome in the last round of matches.[10] 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 tour Italy pushed the Wallabies in their clash in Padova, but the Australians eventually went on to win 30–20. A week later Italy were defeated by Argentina, 14–22.
Italy's 2009 Six Nations campaign was ill-fated almost from the beginning, with both scrum-halves ruled out of the competition before a ball was kicked, and a third alternative ruled out of the opener at England due to injury. Head coach Nick Mallett tried flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrum-half. Mallett's gamble failed in epic fashion, with Bergamasco's mistakes leading to three England tries before he was replaced at half-time; England went on to win 36–11.[11] In week two Italy also put in a poor performance against Ireland losing 9–38.[12] The two poor performances were followed by another loss to Scotland. The Azzurri were competitive in their 15–20 loss at the Flaminio to a Wales side resting many of its key players for the championship decider against Ireland the next week.[13] Italy finished in last place for the second straight year after losing to France on the final weekend of the tournament.
In the 2010 Six Nations Championship, Italy were well beaten by Ireland 11–29 before narrowly losing to England and defeating Scotland.[14][15] Italy were defeated in their last two matches against France and Wales.[16]
Italy finished the 2011 Six Nations with a 1–4 record. In the opening match of the 2011 Six Nations, Italy was beaten by Ireland 11–13 at home, with Ireland scoring a drop goal less than two minutes before the final whistle. The Azzurri claimed a 22–21 home victory over the reigning Six Nations champions, France, gaining Italy's first win over France in a Six Nations game.[17] At the final whistle, the English language commentator declared it the greatest win in Italian rugby history thus far.
Italy finished the 2012 Six Nations in fifth place with a 1–4 record, following a 13–6 win over Scotland before over 72,000 fans at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Italy's 15–19 loss to England was their smallest margin of defeat. The championship also saw Italy lose to Wales, Ireland and France.[18]
Italy played three matches in the 2012 November internationals, losing two and winning one. Italy lost to New Zealand and Australia 19–22, with Italian fly half Luciano Orquera missing a penalty in the last minute which would have secured Italy's first draw against Australia.[19] Italy did manage a win in the series, beating Tonga 28–23.[20]
Italy gained their second Six Nations win over France when they beat them 23–18 on their opening match of the 2013 Six Nations Championship.[21] Three defeats by Scotland, Wales and England followed.[22] On their final game of the championship Italy won against Ireland 22–15 for the first time in a Six Nations match in front of 75,000 fans at the Stadio Olimpico.[23][24] Overall Italy finished fourth,[25] behind Scotland in third on points difference, to make it one of their most successful Six Nations.[26] In November 2013, Italy hosted Australia at Turin for a 20–50 loss, then defeated Fiji 37–31 at Cremona and was defeated by Argentina 14–19 at Rome.
Italy were whitewashed at the 2014 Six Nations Championship, including a 20–21 home loss to Scotland, a 7–46 loss to Ireland and an 11–52 loss to England. In June the team made an Asia-Pacific tour, where they were defeated by Fiji, Japan and Samoa. In November they scored a home win to Samoa, a two-point loss to Argentina and another loss to South Africa.
In the 2015 Six Nations Championship, Italy took a 22–19 away win over Scotland to avoid the wooden spoon, but suffered heavy home losses to France and Wales. At the 2015 Rugby World Cup, they defeated Romania and Canada but lost to Ireland and France, repeating their performance of the previous three editions.
After another poor performance in 2016, losing all their Six Nations matches, Italy hired former Ireland international and Harlequin F.C. coach Conor O'Shea to coach the team; with him they also hired IRFU developmental director Stephen Aboud to direct youth programs aimed at strengthening the level of rugby in the country.[27] In June, Italy lost to Argentina and won over the United States and Canada. On 19 November, Italy achieved a famous upset victory by defeating South Africa 20–18 which was Italy's first win against the Springboks in 13 attempts at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence.[28] This victory also marked their first win over one of the three big Southern Hemisphere nations (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa).
They lost all their matches in the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 Six Nations tournaments, a losing run of 32 games.
Finally in their final match of the 2022 Six Nations Championship Italy had an historic win over Wales. They scored a try in the 80th minute with the conversion the final act in the match to win by 22–21 at the Principality Stadium on 19 March 2022.
Wins against Tier 1 nations
Wins against Tier 1 nations have included:[29][30][31][32][33][34]
Stadium and attendance
Before joining the Six Nations in 2000 Italy did not have a set stadium and played their home matches in various stadiums around Italy. From 2000 to 2011 Italy played all of their home Six Nations matches at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome. The Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) announced, in January 2010, that the stadium would undergo an expansion, that will increase its capacity to 42,000.[35] Continued delays to the start of construction meant that the revamp could not be completed in time for the 2012 Six Nations so all of Italy's home Six Nations games were moved to the Stadio Olimpico, also in Rome.[36] The expansion of the Stadio Flaminio was originally promised to be complete by 2014. It was planned that upon completion of the renovation, the team would move back to the Stadio Flaminio,[37] however little was achieved and as of September 2016 the stadium was still in a state of abandoned disrepair.[38] More Italians are attending rugby union games and whereas before most of the fans at the Stadio Flaminio were away fans.[citation needed] Since moving to the Stadio Olimpico attendances have increased by huge numbers.[39] Italy has drawn large crowds since 2008, particularly for Six Nations matches and for matches against New Zealand:
| Rank | Attendance | Opponent | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80,074 | New Zealand | 14 Nov 2009 | San Siro (Milan) |
| 2 | 80,054 | Ireland | 16 Mar 2013 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
| 3 | 73,526 | Wales | 23 Feb 2013 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
| 4 | 73,000 | New Zealand | 17 Nov 2012 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
| 5 | 72,354 | Scotland | 17 Mar 2012 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
| 6 | 71,257 | England | 15 March 2014 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
| 7 | 70,000 | England | 14 February 2016 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
| 8 | 67,721 | Scotland | 27 February 2016 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
| 9 | 67,529 | France | 3 Feb 2013 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
| 10 | 67,127 | France | 15 March 2015 | Stadio Olimpico (Rome) |
Strip
Italy traditionally plays in blue jerseys, white shorts and blue stockings at home. Its away uniform consists of a uniform with the inverted colours. Both uniforms have on the chest the Scudetto, even if until the 1990s the non-test Italian teams had the coat of arms of the Maritime republics on the jersey.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1981–1989 | Adidas | None |
| 1990–1993 | Lotto[40] | |
| 1991 Rugby World Cup | ||
| 1993–1995 | Gilbert[41] | |
| 1995 Rugby World Cup | ||
| 1996–1997 | Reebok | |
| 1997 European Nations Cup | ||
| 1998–1999 | None | |
| 1999 | Cotton Oxford | |
| 2000 Six Nations – 2000 mid-year internationals | Canterbury | Alliance UniChem |
| 2000 end-of-year internationals – 2002 mid-year internationals | Kappa | |
| 2002 end-of-year internationals – 2006 end-of-year internationals | Jaguar | |
| 2007 Six Nations championship – 2012 mid-year internationals | Cariparma | |
| 2012 end-of-year internationals – 2017 mid-year internationals | Adidas | |
| 2017 end-of-year internationals – 2018 mid-year internationals | Macron | |
| 2018 end-of-year internationals – 2021 end-of-year-internationals | Cattolica Assicurazioni | |
| 2021 end-of-year internationals – | Suzuki | |
| 2022 Six Nations Tournament – | Bitpanda | |
| 2022 end-of-year internationals | Vittoria Assicurazioni |
| 1970s Home | 1987 Home | 1991 Home | 1995 Home | 1995 Away | 1999 Home | 2000 Home | 2000 Away |
| 2001 Home | 2003 Home | 2007 Home | 2007 Away | 2011 Home | 2012-13 Home | 2012-13 Away | 2013-14 Home | 2013-14 Away |
| 2014-16 Home | 2015 RWC Home | 2017 Home | 2017 Away | 2018 Home | 2018 Away | 2019 Home | 2019 Away |
Awards
| Competition | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rugby World Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| European Nations Cup | 1 | 9 | 8 | 18 |
| Total | 1 | 9 | 8 | 18 |
Record
Overall
| Top 20 as of 13 February 2023[42] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Change* | Team | Points |
| 1 | Ireland | 91.33 | |
| 2 | France | 89.38 | |
| 3 | New Zealand | 88.98 | |
| 4 | South Africa | 88.97 | |
| 5 | Scotland | 83.36 | |
| 6 | England | 82.27 | |
| 7 | Australia | 81.80 | |
| 8 | Argentina | 80.72 | |
| 9 | Wales | 77.73 | |
| 10 | Japan | 77.39 | |
| 11 | Samoa | 76.03 | |
| 12 | Italy | 75.83 | |
| 13 | Georgia | 75.19 | |
| 14 | Fiji | 74.84 | |
| 15 | Tonga | 71.21 | |
| 16 | Spain | 67.17 | |
| 17 | Uruguay | 66.24 | |
| 18 | Portugal | 65.98 | |
| 19 | United States | 65.92 | |
| 20 | Romania | 65.42 | |
| * Change from the previous week | |||
| Italy's historical rankings | |||
See or edit source data. | |||
| Source: World Rugby[42] Graph updated to 13 February 2023 | |||
Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by an Italy national XV at test level up until 20 November 2022.[43][citation needed]
| Opponent | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Win % | For | Aga | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 23 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 21.74% | 399 | 594 | −195 |
| Australia | 19 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 5.26% | 279 | 663 | −384 |
| Australia XV | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00% | 36 | 75 | −39 |
| Belgium | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 75 | 0 | +75 |
| Border Bulldogs | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 12 | 25 | −13 |
| Bulgaria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 17 | 0 | +17 |
| Canada | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 77.78% | 246 | 128 | +118 |
| Catalonia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50% | 10 | 8 | +2 |
| Cook Islands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 6 | 15 | −9 |
| Croatia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 76 | 11 | +65 |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 104 | 8 | +96 |
| Czechoslovakia | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 83.33% | 266 | 62 | +204 |
| England | 29 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0.00% | 342 | 1,166 | −824 |
| England XV | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 15 | 15 | +0 |
| England B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 9 | 21 | −12 |
| England U23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.33% | 31 | 42 | −11 |
| Fiji | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 50.00% | 282 | 275 | +7 |
| France | 46 | 3 | 43 | 0 | 6.52% | 528 | 1,426 | −898 |
| France XV | 30 | 1 | 28 | 1 | 3.33% | 289 | 751 | −462 |
| France Espoirs | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 18 | 21 | −3 |
| Georgia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67% | 78 | 67 | +11 |
| Germany | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 33.33% | 27 | 54 | −27 |
| Ireland | 34 | 4 | 30 | 0 | 11.76% | 501 | 1,229 | −728 |
| Japan | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75.00% | 241 | 146 | +95 |
| Leopards | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.66% | 55 | 46 | +9 |
| Madagascar | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 26 | 15 | +11 |
| Middlesex | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 12 | 28 | −16 |
| Morocco | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 75.00% | 184 | 52 | +132 |
| Golden Lions | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 24 | 28 | −4 |
| Namibia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50.00% | 122 | 96 | +26 |
| Sharks | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 3 | 23 | −20 |
| Netherlands | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 178 | 27 | +151 |
| New Zealand | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0.00% | 140 | 867 | −727 |
| New Zealand XV | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 12 | 18 | −6 |
| Junior All Blacks | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 13 | 30 | −17 |
| North-Eastern Cape | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 12 | 31 | −19 |
| Northern Free State | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 11 | 12 | −1 |
| Oxfordshire | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 6 | 30 | −24 |
| Pacific Islanders | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 17 | 25 | −8 |
| Poland | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 85.71% | 165 | 49 | +116 |
| Portugal | 13 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 84.62% | 371 | 102 | +269 |
| Romania | 43 | 24 | 16 | 3 | 55.81% | 654 | 647 | +7 |
| Russia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 283 | 76 | +207 |
| Samoa | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 37.50% | 158 | 192 | −34 |
| Scotland | 34 | 8 | 26 | 0 | 23.53% | 564 | 879 | −315 |
| Scotland A | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33% | 51 | 55 | −4 |
| Serbia and Montenegro | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 60 | 22 | +38 |
| South Africa | 16 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 6.25% | 195 | 764 | −569 |
| Soviet Union | 14 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 28.57% | 171 | 165 | +6 |
| Spain | 27 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 85.19% | 581 | 187 | +394 |
| Steval Pumas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 12 | 39 | −27 |
| Sussex | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00% | 7 | 16 | −9 |
| Tonga | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.00% | 154 | 82 | +72 |
| Tunisia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 60 | 19 | +41 |
| United States | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 154 | 74 | +80 |
| Uruguay | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 109 | 35 | +74 |
| Wales | 31 | 3 | 27 | 1 | 9.68% | 461 | 1,040 | −579 |
| West Germany | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 92.86% | 226 | 69 | +157 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% | 70 | 25 | +45 |
| Total | 531 | 191 | 326 | 14 | 35.97% | 9,131 | 12,618 | –3487 |
Six Nations
Italy entered the International Championship in 2000 when it became the Six Nations, and made a positive start by winning their debut match 34–20 against Scotland. They finished fifth in 2003 above Wales in the final standings, having defeated them 30–22, and were again fifth the following year above Scotland, after beating them 20–14. In 2006, Italy drew with Wales 18–18 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Italy's first three Six Nations match victories, in 2000, 2003, and 2004, had been in front of a home crowd at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome. However, on 24 February 2007, they defeated Scotland 37–17 at Murrayfield for their first away win in the competition. Two weeks later, they defeated Wales for the second time, 23–20 back in Rome. This was the first time that Italy had won two of their five games in the championship, and they finished the 2007 Six Nations Championship in fourth place.
Italy won the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy for the first time in 2011 with a close-fought 22–21 victory over France. Two years later, they lifted the trophy for a second time by defeating France 23–18. Italy also recorded a first Six Nations victory over Ireland in 2013, beating them 22–15, and equalling their best finish of fourth place in the final standings. On 28 February 2015, Italy achieved their second away win against Scotland, a tight 22–19 victory, and after a 36-match losing streak they won in Wales for the first time on 19 March 2022 by 22–21.
As of March 2022[update], Italy have won thirteen Six Nations matches: seven of these against Scotland, three against Wales, two against France and one against Ireland. England is the only team that Italy have yet to beat in the championship.
| Year | Pos | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | FRA | ENG | IRL | WAL | SCO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 6th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 106 | 228 | -122 | L | L | L | L | W |
| 2001 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 106 | 207 | -101 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2002 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 70 | 183 | -113 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2003 | 5th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 100 | 185 | -85 | L | L | L | W | L |
| 2004 | 5th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 42 | 152 | -110 | L | L | L | L | W |
| 2005 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 55 | 179 | -124 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2006 | 6th | 0 | 1 | 4 | 72 | 125 | -53 | L | L | L | D | L |
| 2007 | 4th | 2 | 0 | 3 | 94 | 147 | -53 | L | L | L | W | W |
| 2008 | 6th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 74 | 131 | -57 | L | L | L | L | W |
| 2009 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 49 | 170 | -121 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2010 | 6th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 69 | 137 | -68 | L | L | L | L | W |
| 2011 | 6th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 70 | 138 | -68 | W | L | L | L | L |
| 2012 | 5th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 53 | 121 | -68 | L | L | L | L | W |
| 2013 | 4th | 2 | 0 | 3 | 75 | 111 | -36 | W | L | W | L | L |
| 2014 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 63 | 172 | -109 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2015 | 5th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 62 | 182 | -120 | L | L | L | L | W |
| 2016 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 79 | 224 | -145 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2017 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 50 | 201 | -151 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2018 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 92 | 203 | -111 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2019 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 79 | 167 | -88 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2020 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 44 | 178 | -134 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2021 | 6th | 0 | 0 | 5 | 55 | 239 | -184 | L | L | L | L | L |
| 2022 | 6th | 1 | 0 | 4 | 60 | 181 | -121 | L | L | L | W | L |
| Overall | 13 | 1 | 101 | 1619 | 3961 | -2342 | 2–0–21 | 0–0–23 | 1–0–22 | 3–1–19 | 7–0–16 | |
| England | France | Ireland | Italy | Scotland | Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournaments | 125 | 92 | 127 | 22 | 127 | 127 |
| Outright wins (shared wins) | ||||||
| Home Nations | 5 (4) | — | 4 (3) | — | 9 (2) | 7 (4) |
| Five Nations | 17 (6) | 12 (8) | 6 (5) | — | 5 (6) | 15 (8) |
| Six Nations | 7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Overall | 29 (10) | 18 (8) | 14 (8) | 0 (0) | 14 (8) | 28 (12) |
| Grand Slams | ||||||
| Home Nations | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | 2 |
| Five Nations | 11 | 6 | 1 | — | 3 | 6 |
| Six Nations | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Overall | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Triple Crowns | ||||||
| Home Nations | 5 | — | 2 | — | 7 | 6 |
| Five Nations | 16 | — | 4 | — | 3 | 11 |
| Six Nations | 5 | — | 6 | — | 0 | 5 |
| Overall | 26 | — | 12 | — | 10 | 22 |
| Wooden Spoons | ||||||
| Home Nations | 7 | — | 10 | — | 5 | 2 |
| Five Nations | 10 | 9 | 15 | — | 15 | 6 |
| Six Nations | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 1 |
| Overall | 17 | 10 | 25 | 17 | 24 | 9 |
Rugby World Cup
| Rugby World Cup | Qualification | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | Squad | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987 | Pool Stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 40 | 110 | Squad | Invited | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Pool Stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 57 | 76 | Squad | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Pool Stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 94 | Squad | 2nd | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 210 | 52 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Pool Stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 196 | Squad | 2nd | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 302 | 92 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Pool Stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 123 | Squad | 1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Pool Stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 85 | 117 | Squad | 1st | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Pool Stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 95 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Pool Stage | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 74 | 88 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Pool Stage | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 98 | 78 | Squad | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Automatically qualified | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | Pool Stage | 31 | 13 | 0 | 18 | 627 | 977 | 17 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 820 | 209 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Italy have competed at every Rugby World Cup since the competition's inception in 1987. Italy finished third in their pool at their first World Cup, defeating Fiji, but not making the finals. They did not make the finals in 1991, grouped in a tough pool with England and the All Blacks. At the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, they finished behind England and Western Samoa, but above Argentina in their pool.
In 1999 they did not make the finals, with their defeats by the All Blacks and Tonga. Italy won two pool games at the 2003 World Cup, defeating both Canada and Tonga, but lost to the All Blacks and Wales. Italy played the 2007 Rugby World Cup in Pool C, against New Zealand, Scotland, Romania and Portugal (who had been beaten 83–0 by Italy in the qualifiers), with the goal of reaching the quarter finals for the first time. However, in the crucial group match against Scotland, Italy were undone by indiscipline. Chris Paterson kicked all of Scotland's points in an 18–16 victory, despite Italy crossing the line for the game's only try.
European championships
Before 2000, Italy was one of the leading European teams outside the Five Nations, along with Romania, and for a while the USSR.
Italy competed in the original European Championships from 1936 to 1938, but World War II meant that the tournament would not resume until 1952. Italy then competed in these tournaments from 1952 to 2000. Italy achieved only one victory, the 1995–97 FIRA Trophy.
| Team | First place | Second place | Third place |
| Italy | 1 | 9 | 8 |
Thirties wins
| Year | Host city | Winner | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Berlin | France | Germany | Italy |
| 1937 | Paris | France | Italy | Germany |
The fifties: the European Cup, Italian positions
The Nations Cup 1966–73
| Year | Winner | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965/1966 | France | Italy | Romania |
| 1966/1967 | France | Romania | Italy |
| 1969/1970 | France | Romania | Italy |
The FIRA Trophy 1974–97
| Year | Winner | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974/1975 | Romania | France | Italy |
| 1975/1976 | France | Italy | Romania |
| 1976/1977 | Romania | France | Italy |
| 1979/1980 | France | Romania | Italy |
| 1981/1982 | France | Italy | Romania |
| 1982/1983 | Romania | Italy | Soviet Union |
| 1983/1984 | France | Romania | Italy |
| 1984/1985 | France | Soviet Union | Italy |
| 1990/1992 | France | Italy | Romania |
| 1992/1994 | France | Italy | Romania |
| 1995/1997 | Italy | France | Romania |
Players
Current squad
On 29th January Kieran Crowley announced a 33-man squad for the Italy's opening two matches of the 2023 Six Nations matches against France (5 Feb) and England (12 Feb).[44]
Head Coach: Kieran Crowley
- Caps updated: 12 February 2023
Coaches
Current coaches
- Kieran Crowley (Head Coach)
- Marius Goosen (Defence)
- Corrado Pilat (Backs)
- Andrea Moretti (Forwards)
- Giovanni Sanguin (Skills)
Coaching history
| 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 Michel Boucheron | 14 May 1936 | 16 May 1936 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 50 |
| 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 | 1 August 1954 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 66.7 |
| Piermarcello Farinelli Aldo Invernici Umberto Silvestri | 1 Au italy, national, rugby, union, team, this, article, about, team, women, team, italy, women, national, rugby, union, team, rugby, sevens, side, italy, national, rugby, sevens, team, italian, squadra, nazionale, italiana, rugby, represents, italy, international,. This article is about the men s team For the women s team see Italy women s national rugby union team For the men s rugby sevens side see Italy national rugby sevens team The Italy national rugby union team Italian Squadra nazionale italiana di rugby represents Italy in men s international rugby union The team is known as gli Azzurri the light blues Savoy blue is the common colour of the national teams representing Italy as it is the traditional colour of the royal House of Savoy which reigned over the Kingdom of Italy from 1860 to 1946 ItalyNickname s Gli Azzurri The Blues UnionItalian Rugby FederationHead coachKieran CrowleyCaptainMichele LamaroMost capsSergio Parisse 142 Top scorerDiego Dominguez 983 Top try scorerMarcello Cuttitta 26 Home stadiumStadio OlimpicoFirst coloursSecond coloursWorld Rugby rankingCurrent11 as of 14 November 2022 Highest8 2007 Lowest15 2015 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 First international Spain 9 0 Italy Barcelona Spain 20 May 1929 Biggest win Italy 104 8 Czech Republic Viadana Italy 18 May 1994 Biggest defeat South Africa 101 0 Italy Durban South Africa 19 June 1999 World CupAppearances10 First in 1987 Best resultPool stage 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 Websitefederugby itItaly has played international rugby since 1929 and for decades was considered one of the best European teams outside the Five Nations Championship Since 2000 Italy has competed annually in the Six Nations Championship with England France Ireland Scotland and Wales In 2013 they were holders of the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy which is played annually between Italy and France Italy is ranked 12th in the world by the IRB as of 13th February 2023 Italian rugby rose to prominence in 2000 when it was added to the Five Nations creating the Six Nations Initially on the receiving end of some heavy defeats the side grew in competitiveness recording a fourth place finish in 2007 and 2013 and one sided defeats became less frequent The Azzurri showed respectable results when playing at home in the early 2010s they defeated France 22 21 in the 2011 Six Nations and during the 2013 Six Nations they again beat France 23 18 1 also defeating Ireland 22 15 2 Until 19 March 2022 Italy had not won a Six Nations game since beating Scotland in 2015 However on 19 March Edoardo Padovani scored a last minute try against Wales to earn Italy their first win in 36 games as well as their first away win against Wales and third away win in the tournament Italy has competed at every Rugby World Cup since the first tournament in 1987 where Italy played the inaugural game against New Zealand but is yet to progress beyond the first round The team has developed a reputation for being a consistent middle player at the tournament Italy s results since the inception of a new group stage formula in 2003 have consistently followed a pattern of two wins against Tier 2 teams and two losses against Tier 1 ones although in 2019 the match against New Zealand was cancelled due to Hagibis typhoon The current head coach is Kieran Crowley and the captain is currently Michele Lamaro 3 Contents 1 History 1 1 Early history 1911 34 1 2 1945 85 1 3 1986 99 1 4 Six Nations era 2000 present 2 Wins against Tier 1 nations 3 Stadium and attendance 4 Strip 5 Awards 6 Record 6 1 Overall 6 2 Six Nations 6 3 Rugby World Cup 6 4 European championships 6 4 1 Thirties wins 6 4 2 The fifties the European Cup Italian positions 6 4 3 The Nations Cup 1966 73 6 4 4 The FIRA Trophy 1974 97 7 Players 7 1 Current squad 8 Coaches 8 1 Current coaches 8 2 Coaching history 9 Player records career 9 1 Most caps 9 2 Most tries 9 3 Most points 9 4 Most matches as captain 10 Player records single match 10 1 Most points in a match 10 2 Most tries in a match 11 See also 12 References 13 External linksHistory EditSee also Rugby union in Italy Early history 1911 34 Edit 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 Italian Rugby Federation In May 1929 Italy played their first international losing 0 9 against Spain in Barcelona In 1934 Italy was one of the founder members of FIRA today s Rugby Europe the others were France Spain Belgium Portugal Catalonia Romania Holland and Germany 4 1945 85 Edit World War II meant a hiatus for Italian rugby union as it did in other rugby playing nations Post war there was a desire to return to normal and Italian rugby union entered a new dimension thanks to the help of Allied troops in Italy Lineup of the Italy national rugby union team vs France 1975 In the 1970s and 1980s rugby union made enormous progress thanks to great foreign players John Kirwan Naas Botha David Campese Michael Lynagh and coaches Julien Saby Roy Bish Greenwood Nelie Smith in the Italian championship 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 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 In 1978 Italy first played Argentina at Rovigo winning 19 6 1986 99 Edit Since the mid 1980s Italy had been pursuing the ambition of playing in an expanded Five Nations Championship Consistently winning against nations that now play in the European Nations Cup Romania Spain Georgia etc and good results against the major nations such as France Scotland Wales and Ireland meant that they were often talked as strong candidates 5 In 1986 Italy hosted an England XV squad in Rome drawing 15 15 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 Italy side John Kirwan later to become the Italy national coach scored one of the tournament s greatest ever tries for the All Blacks Italy beat Fiji but lost to Argentina and finished third in their pool failing to make the finals In 1988 they played Ireland for the first time 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 Italy first played Wales in 1994 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 current badge on the Italy jersey The late 1990s saw the Italians build a formidable side and record Test victories over Five Nations opposition In 1996 a deal between British Sky Broadcasting and the Rugby Football Union 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 In 1996 Italy toured England Wales and for the first time Scotland losing all matches The team recorded two consecutive victories over Ireland in 1997 37 29 on 4 January at Lansdowne Road and 37 22 on 20 December in Bologna 6 On 22 March 1997 they recorded their first win over France 40 32 in Grenoble In January 1998 Scotland were the victims with Italy winning 25 21 in Treviso in the same year in the Rugby World Cup Qualifiers they narrowly lost 15 23 against England at Huddersfield but they argued for a try by Alessandro Troncon disallowed by the referee 7 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 8 Six Nations era 2000 present Edit Italy vs the New Zealand All Blacks at the San Siro with a record 80 000 sellout crowd November 2009 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 Scotland 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 was sacked in 2002 after an alleged show of player power John Kirwan was then appointed coach They managed to win their second Six Nations game in 2003 a 30 22 victory over Wales thus avoiding the wooden spoon They followed up by winning two games at the World Cup another first The tournament was however ultimately disappointing as the Welsh gained revenge with a 27 15 success This coupled with defeat against New Zealand that meant that Italy were the only Six Nations country not to advance to the knock out stage Their third Six Nations win came against Scotland in 2004 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 three 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 the 2005 Six Nations Italy finished bottom of the table again and failed to win a single game Kirwan was sacked and replaced with Pierre Berbizier 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 Italy contesting a lineout with Scotland during the 2012 Six Nations In the 2006 Six Nations Championship Italy 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 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 and they held England to a 20 7 result at Twickenham Italy followed with a stunning start to their match at Murrayfield against Scotland scoring three quick tries to give Italy a 21 0 lead after seven minutes and the Azzurri went on to a 37 17 victory their first ever away win in the Six Nations Italy s next match was against Wales in Rome with Italy winning 23 20 for their first consecutive victories in the competition and help them achieve their highest ever position in the competition 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 9 Media and public interest in the national team was very high during the side s newfound success and on the final day a win could have seen them win their first ever six nations tournament 9 despite losing their last game to Ireland 10 000 fans later greeted the national team at Rome s Piazza del Popolo 9 The 2008 Six Nations Championship saw Italy again finish in last place albeit by only a three point margin They took part in close matches against Ireland Wales England and France respectively and managed a sole victory defeating Scotland 23 20 in Rome in the last round of matches 10 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 tour Italy pushed the Wallabies in their clash in Padova but the Australians eventually went on to win 30 20 A week later Italy were defeated by Argentina 14 22 Italy s 2009 Six Nations campaign was ill fated almost from the beginning with both scrum halves ruled out of the competition before a ball was kicked and a third alternative ruled out of the opener at England due to injury Head coach Nick Mallett tried flanker Mauro Bergamasco at scrum half Mallett s gamble failed in epic fashion with Bergamasco s mistakes leading to three England tries before he was replaced at half time England went on to win 36 11 11 In week two Italy also put in a poor performance against Ireland losing 9 38 12 The two poor performances were followed by another loss to Scotland The Azzurri were competitive in their 15 20 loss at the Flaminio to a Wales side resting many of its key players for the championship decider against Ireland the next week 13 Italy finished in last place for the second straight year after losing to France on the final weekend of the tournament In the 2010 Six Nations Championship Italy were well beaten by Ireland 11 29 before narrowly losing to England and defeating Scotland 14 15 Italy were defeated in their last two matches against France and Wales 16 Italian fans on their way to see Italy play Scotland at Murrayfield in the Six Nations Championship 2013 Italy finished the 2011 Six Nations with a 1 4 record In the opening match of the 2011 Six Nations Italy was beaten by Ireland 11 13 at home with Ireland scoring a drop goal less than two minutes before the final whistle The Azzurri claimed a 22 21 home victory over the reigning Six Nations champions France gaining Italy s first win over France in a Six Nations game 17 At the final whistle the English language commentator declared it the greatest win in Italian rugby history thus far Italy finished the 2012 Six Nations in fifth place with a 1 4 record following a 13 6 win over Scotland before over 72 000 fans at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome Italy s 15 19 loss to England was their smallest margin of defeat The championship also saw Italy lose to Wales Ireland and France 18 Italy played three matches in the 2012 November internationals losing two and winning one Italy lost to New Zealand and Australia 19 22 with Italian fly half Luciano Orquera missing a penalty in the last minute which would have secured Italy s first draw against Australia 19 Italy did manage a win in the series beating Tonga 28 23 20 Italy gained their second Six Nations win over France when they beat them 23 18 on their opening match of the 2013 Six Nations Championship 21 Three defeats by Scotland Wales and England followed 22 On their final game of the championship Italy won against Ireland 22 15 for the first time in a Six Nations match in front of 75 000 fans at the Stadio Olimpico 23 24 Overall Italy finished fourth 25 behind Scotland in third on points difference to make it one of their most successful Six Nations 26 In November 2013 Italy hosted Australia at Turin for a 20 50 loss then defeated Fiji 37 31 at Cremona and was defeated by Argentina 14 19 at Rome Italy were whitewashed at the 2014 Six Nations Championship including a 20 21 home loss to Scotland a 7 46 loss to Ireland and an 11 52 loss to England In June the team made an Asia Pacific tour where they were defeated by Fiji Japan and Samoa In November they scored a home win to Samoa a two point loss to Argentina and another loss to South Africa In the 2015 Six Nations Championship Italy took a 22 19 away win over Scotland to avoid the wooden spoon but suffered heavy home losses to France and Wales At the 2015 Rugby World Cup they defeated Romania and Canada but lost to Ireland and France repeating their performance of the previous three editions After another poor performance in 2016 losing all their Six Nations matches Italy hired former Ireland international and Harlequin F C coach Conor O Shea to coach the team with him they also hired IRFU developmental director Stephen Aboud to direct youth programs aimed at strengthening the level of rugby in the country 27 In June Italy lost to Argentina and won over the United States and Canada On 19 November Italy achieved a famous upset victory by defeating South Africa 20 18 which was Italy s first win against the Springboks in 13 attempts at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence 28 This victory also marked their first win over one of the three big Southern Hemisphere nations Australia New Zealand South Africa They lost all their matches in the 2017 2018 2019 2020 and 2021 Six Nations tournaments a losing run of 32 games Finally in their final match of the 2022 Six Nations Championship Italy had an historic win over Wales They scored a try in the 80th minute with the conversion the final act in the match to win by 22 21 at the Principality Stadium on 19 March 2022 Wins against Tier 1 nations EditWins against Tier 1 nations have included 29 30 31 32 33 34 Date Home Score Away Place Competition24 October 1978 Italy 19 6 Argentina Stadio Mario Battaglini Rovigo6 May 1995 Italy 22 12 Ireland Stadio comunale di Monigo Treviso4 June 1995 Argentina 25 31 Italy Buffalo City Stadium East London South Africa Rugby World Cup4 January 1997 Ireland 29 37 Italy Lansdowne Road Dublin22 March 1997 France 32 40 Italy Stade Lesdiguieres Grenoble20 December 1997 Italy 37 22 Ireland Stadio Renato Dall Ara Bologna24 January 1998 Italy 25 21 Scotland Stadio Comunale Monigo Treviso7 November 1998 Italy 23 19 Argentina Stadio Comunale Beltrametti Piacenza5 February 2000 Italy 34 20 Scotland Stadio Flaminio Rome Six Nations15 February 2003 Italy 30 22 Wales Stadio Flaminio Rome Six Nations6 March 2004 Italy 20 14 Scotland Stadio Flaminio Rome Six Nations11 June 2005 Argentina 29 30 Italy Estadio Olimpico Cordoba24 February 2007 Scotland 17 37 Italy Murrayfield Edinburgh Six Nations10 March 2007 Italy 23 20 Wales Stadio Flaminio Rome Six Nations15 March 2008 Italy 23 20 Scotland Stadio Flaminio Rome Six Nations28 June 2008 Argentina 12 13 Italy Estadio Olimpico Cordoba27 February 2010 Italy 16 12 Scotland Stadio Flaminio Rome Six Nations12 March 2011 Italy 22 21 France Stadio Flaminio Rome Six Nations17 March 2012 Italy 13 6 Scotland Stadio Olimpico Rome Six Nations3 February 2013 Italy 23 18 France Stadio Olimpico Rome Six Nations16 March 2013 Italy 22 15 Ireland Stadio Olimpico Rome Six Nations28 February 2015 Scotland 19 22 Italy Murrayfield Edinburgh Six Nations19 November 2016 Italy 20 18 South Africa Stadio Artemio Franchi Florence Autumn Internationals19 March 2022 Wales 21 22 Italy Millennium Stadium Cardiff Six Nations12 November 2022 Italy 28 27 Australia Stadio Artemio Franchi Florence Autumn Nations SeriesStadium and attendance EditBefore joining the Six Nations in 2000 Italy did not have a set stadium and played their home matches in various stadiums around Italy From 2000 to 2011 Italy played all of their home Six Nations matches at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome The Italian Rugby Federation FIR announced in January 2010 that the stadium would undergo an expansion that will increase its capacity to 42 000 35 Continued delays to the start of construction meant that the revamp could not be completed in time for the 2012 Six Nations so all of Italy s home Six Nations games were moved to the Stadio Olimpico also in Rome 36 The expansion of the Stadio Flaminio was originally promised to be complete by 2014 It was planned that upon completion of the renovation the team would move back to the Stadio Flaminio 37 however little was achieved and as of September 2016 the stadium was still in a state of abandoned disrepair 38 More Italians are attending rugby union games and whereas before most of the fans at the Stadio Flaminio were away fans citation needed Since moving to the Stadio Olimpico attendances have increased by huge numbers 39 Italy has drawn large crowds since 2008 particularly for Six Nations matches and for matches against New Zealand The Stadio Olimpico in Rome current home of the Italian rugby team Highest attended home matches Rank Attendance Opponent Date Venue1 80 074 New Zealand 14 Nov 2009 San Siro Milan 2 80 054 Ireland 16 Mar 2013 Stadio Olimpico Rome 3 73 526 Wales 23 Feb 2013 Stadio Olimpico Rome 4 73 000 New Zealand 17 Nov 2012 Stadio Olimpico Rome 5 72 354 Scotland 17 Mar 2012 Stadio Olimpico Rome 6 71 257 England 15 March 2014 Stadio Olimpico Rome 7 70 000 England 14 February 2016 Stadio Olimpico Rome 8 67 721 Scotland 27 February 2016 Stadio Olimpico Rome 9 67 529 France 3 Feb 2013 Stadio Olimpico Rome 10 67 127 France 15 March 2015 Stadio Olimpico Rome Strip EditItaly traditionally plays in blue jerseys white shorts and blue stockings at home Its away uniform consists of a uniform with the inverted colours Both uniforms have on the chest the Scudetto even if until the 1990s the non test Italian teams had the coat of arms of the Maritime republics on the jersey Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor1981 1989 Adidas None1990 1993 Lotto 40 1991 Rugby World Cup1993 1995 Gilbert 41 1995 Rugby World Cup1996 1997 Reebok1997 European Nations Cup1998 1999 None1999 Cotton Oxford2000 Six Nations 2000 mid year internationals Canterbury Alliance UniChem2000 end of year internationals 2002 mid year internationals Kappa2002 end of year internationals 2006 end of year internationals Jaguar2007 Six Nations championship 2012 mid year internationals Cariparma2012 end of year internationals 2017 mid year internationals Adidas2017 end of year internationals 2018 mid year internationals Macron2018 end of year internationals 2021 end of year internationals Cattolica Assicurazioni2021 end of year internationals Suzuki2022 Six Nations Tournament Bitpanda2022 end of year internationals Vittoria Assicurazioni 1970s Home 1987 Home 1991 Home 1995 Home 1995 Away 1999 Home 2000 Home 2000 Away 2001 Home 2003 Home 2007 Home 2007 Away 2011 Home 2012 13 Home 2012 13 Away 2013 14 Home 2013 14 Away 2014 16 Home 2015 RWC Home 2017 Home 2017 Away 2018 Home 2018 Away 2019 Home 2019 AwayAwards EditCompetition TotalOlympic Games 0 0 0 0Rugby World Cup 0 0 0 0European Nations Cup 1 9 8 18Total 1 9 8 18Record EditOverall Edit Men s World Rugby Rankingsvte Top 20 as of 13 February 2023 42 Rank Change Team Points1 Ireland 0 91 332 France 0 89 383 New Zealand 0 88 984 South Africa 0 88 975 Scotland 0 83 366 England 0 82 277 Australia 0 81 808 Argentina 0 80 729 Wales 0 77 7310 Japan 0 77 3911 Samoa 0 76 0312 Italy 0 75 8313 Georgia 0 75 1914 Fiji 0 74 8415 Tonga 0 71 2116 Spain 0 67 1717 Uruguay 0 66 2418 Portugal 0 65 9819 United States 0 65 9220 Romania 0 65 4221 Namibia 0 61 6022 Chile 0 60 8923 Canada 0 60 4624 Hong Kong 0 59 6625 Russia 0 58 0626 Belgium 0 55 3527 Brazil 0 55 2328 Switzerland 0 53 8029 Netherlands 0 53 1230 Poland 0 53 02 Change from the previous weekItaly s historical rankingsSee or edit source data Source World Rugby 42 Graph updated to 13 February 2023Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by an Italy national XV at test level up until 20 November 2022 43 citation needed Opponent Played Won Lost Drawn Win For Aga Diff Argentina 23 5 17 1 21 74 399 594 195 Australia 19 1 18 0 5 26 279 663 384 Australia XV 2 0 2 0 0 00 36 75 39 Belgium 2 2 0 0 100 00 75 0 75 Border Bulldogs 1 0 1 0 0 00 12 25 13 Bulgaria 1 1 0 0 100 00 17 0 17 Canada 9 7 2 0 77 78 246 128 118 Catalonia 2 1 0 1 50 10 8 2 Cook Islands 1 0 1 0 0 00 6 15 9 Croatia 1 1 0 0 100 00 76 11 65 Czech Republic 1 1 0 0 100 00 104 8 96 Czechoslovakia 12 10 1 1 83 33 266 62 204 England 29 0 29 0 0 00 342 1 166 824 England XV 1 0 0 1 0 00 15 15 0 England B 1 0 1 0 0 00 9 21 12 England U23 3 1 1 1 33 33 31 42 11 Fiji 12 6 6 0 50 00 282 275 7 France 46 3 43 0 6 52 528 1 426 898 France XV 30 1 28 1 3 33 289 751 462 France Espoirs 1 0 1 0 0 00 18 21 3 Georgia 3 2 1 0 66 67 78 67 11 Germany 6 2 4 0 33 33 27 54 27 Ireland 34 4 30 0 11 76 501 1 229 728 Japan 8 6 2 0 75 00 241 146 95 Leopards 3 2 1 0 66 66 55 46 9 Madagascar 2 2 0 0 100 00 26 15 11 Middlesex 1 0 1 0 0 00 12 28 16 Morocco 8 6 2 0 75 00 184 52 132 Golden Lions 1 0 1 0 0 00 24 28 4 Namibia 4 2 2 0 50 00 122 96 26 Sharks 1 0 1 0 0 00 3 23 20 Netherlands 4 4 0 0 100 00 178 27 151 New Zealand 15 0 15 0 0 00 140 867 727 New Zealand XV 1 0 1 0 0 00 12 18 6 Junior All Blacks 1 0 1 0 0 00 13 30 17 North Eastern Cape 1 0 1 0 0 00 12 31 19 Northern Free State 1 0 1 0 0 00 11 12 1 Oxfordshire 1 0 1 0 0 00 6 30 24 Pacific Islanders 1 0 1 0 0 00 17 25 8 Poland 7 6 1 0 85 71 165 49 116 Portugal 13 11 1 1 84 62 371 102 269 Romania 43 24 16 3 55 81 654 647 7 Russia 5 5 0 0 100 00 283 76 207 Samoa 8 3 5 0 37 50 158 192 34 Scotland 34 8 26 0 23 53 564 879 315 Scotland A 3 1 2 0 33 33 51 55 4 Serbia and Montenegro 3 3 0 0 100 00 60 22 38 South Africa 16 1 15 0 6 25 195 764 569 Soviet Union 14 4 9 1 28 57 171 165 6 Spain 27 23 3 1 85 19 581 187 394 Steval Pumas 1 0 1 0 0 00 12 39 27 Sussex 1 0 1 0 0 00 7 16 9 Tonga 5 3 2 0 60 00 154 82 72 Tunisia 3 3 0 0 100 00 60 19 41 United States 5 5 0 0 100 00 154 74 80 Uruguay 4 4 0 0 100 00 109 35 74 Wales 31 3 27 1 9 68 461 1 040 579 West Germany 14 13 0 1 92 86 226 69 157 Zimbabwe 3 3 0 0 100 00 70 25 45Total 531 191 326 14 35 97 9 131 12 618 3487Six Nations Edit Italy entered the International Championship in 2000 when it became the Six Nations and made a positive start by winning their debut match 34 20 against Scotland They finished fifth in 2003 above Wales in the final standings having defeated them 30 22 and were again fifth the following year above Scotland after beating them 20 14 In 2006 Italy drew with Wales 18 18 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Italy s first three Six Nations match victories in 2000 2003 and 2004 had been in front of a home crowd at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome However on 24 February 2007 they defeated Scotland 37 17 at Murrayfield for their first away win in the competition Two weeks later they defeated Wales for the second time 23 20 back in Rome This was the first time that Italy had won two of their five games in the championship and they finished the 2007 Six Nations Championship in fourth place Italy won the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy for the first time in 2011 with a close fought 22 21 victory over France Two years later they lifted the trophy for a second time by defeating France 23 18 Italy also recorded a first Six Nations victory over Ireland in 2013 beating them 22 15 and equalling their best finish of fourth place in the final standings On 28 February 2015 Italy achieved their second away win against Scotland a tight 22 19 victory and after a 36 match losing streak they won in Wales for the first time on 19 March 2022 by 22 21 As of March 2022 update Italy have won thirteen Six Nations matches seven of these against Scotland three against Wales two against France and one against Ireland England is the only team that Italy have yet to beat in the championship Year Pos W D L PF PA PD FRA ENG IRL WAL SCO2000 6th 1 0 4 106 228 122 L L L L W2001 6th 0 0 5 106 207 101 L L L L L2002 6th 0 0 5 70 183 113 L L L L L2003 5th 1 0 4 100 185 85 L L L W L2004 5th 1 0 4 42 152 110 L L L L W2005 6th 0 0 5 55 179 124 L L L L L2006 6th 0 1 4 72 125 53 L L L D L2007 4th 2 0 3 94 147 53 L L L W W2008 6th 1 0 4 74 131 57 L L L L W2009 6th 0 0 5 49 170 121 L L L L L2010 6th 1 0 4 69 137 68 L L L L W2011 6th 1 0 4 70 138 68 W L L L L2012 5th 1 0 4 53 121 68 L L L L W2013 4th 2 0 3 75 111 36 W L W L L2014 6th 0 0 5 63 172 109 L L L L L2015 5th 1 0 4 62 182 120 L L L L W2016 6th 0 0 5 79 224 145 L L L L L2017 6th 0 0 5 50 201 151 L L L L L2018 6th 0 0 5 92 203 111 L L L L L2019 6th 0 0 5 79 167 88 L L L L L2020 6th 0 0 5 44 178 134 L L L L L2021 6th 0 0 5 55 239 184 L L L L L2022 6th 1 0 4 60 181 121 L L L W LOverall 13 1 101 1619 3961 2342 2 0 21 0 0 23 1 0 22 3 1 19 7 0 16 England France Ireland Italy Scotland WalesTournaments 125 92 127 22 127 127Outright wins shared wins Home Nations 5 4 4 3 9 2 7 4 Five Nations 17 6 12 8 6 5 5 6 15 8 Six Nations 7 6 4 0 0 6Overall 29 10 18 8 14 8 0 0 14 8 28 12 Grand SlamsHome Nations 0 0 0 2Five Nations 11 6 1 3 6Six Nations 2 4 2 0 0 4Overall 13 10 3 0 3 12Triple CrownsHome Nations 5 2 7 6Five Nations 16 4 3 11Six Nations 5 6 0 5Overall 26 12 10 22Wooden SpoonsHome Nations 7 10 5 2Five Nations 10 9 15 15 6Six Nations 0 1 0 17 4 1Overall 17 10 25 17 24 9Rugby World Cup Edit Main article Italy at the Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup QualificationYear Round Pld W D L PF PA Squad Pos Pld W D L PF PA 1987 Pool Stage 3 1 0 2 40 110 Squad Invited 1991 Pool Stage 3 1 0 2 57 76 Squad 1st 3 3 0 0 83 38 1995 Pool Stage 3 1 0 2 69 94 Squad 2nd 4 3 0 1 210 52 1999 Pool Stage 3 0 0 3 35 196 Squad 2nd 6 5 0 1 302 92 2003 Pool Stage 4 2 0 2 77 123 Squad 1st 2 2 0 0 75 20 2007 Pool Stage 4 2 0 2 85 117 Squad 1st 2 2 0 0 150 7 2011 Pool Stage 4 2 0 2 92 95 Squad Automatically qualified 2015 Pool Stage 4 2 0 2 74 88 Squad Automatically qualified 2019 Pool Stage 4 2 1 1 98 78 Squad Automatically qualified 2023 Automatically qualifiedTotal Pool Stage 31 13 0 18 627 977 17 15 0 2 820 209 Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place Home venueItaly have competed at every Rugby World Cup since the competition s inception in 1987 Italy finished third in their pool at their first World Cup defeating Fiji but not making the finals They did not make the finals in 1991 grouped in a tough pool with England and the All Blacks At the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa they finished behind England and Western Samoa but above Argentina in their pool In 1999 they did not make the finals with their defeats by the All Blacks and Tonga Italy won two pool games at the 2003 World Cup defeating both Canada and Tonga but lost to the All Blacks and Wales Italy played the 2007 Rugby World Cup in Pool C against New Zealand Scotland Romania and Portugal who had been beaten 83 0 by Italy in the qualifiers with the goal of reaching the quarter finals for the first time However in the crucial group match against Scotland Italy were undone by indiscipline Chris Paterson kicked all of Scotland s points in an 18 16 victory despite Italy crossing the line for the game s only try European championships Edit Main article European Nations Cup rugby union Before 2000 Italy was one of the leading European teams outside the Five Nations along with Romania and for a while the USSR Italy competed in the original European Championships from 1936 to 1938 but World War II meant that the tournament would not resume until 1952 Italy then competed in these tournaments from 1952 to 2000 Italy achieved only one victory the 1995 97 FIRA Trophy Team First place Second place Third place Italy 1 9 8Thirties wins Edit Year Host city Winner Second place Third place1936 Berlin France Germany Italy1937 Paris France Italy GermanyThe fifties the European Cup Italian positions Edit Year Winner Second place Third place1952 France Italy West Germany1954 France Italy SpainThe Nations Cup 1966 73 Edit Year Winner Second place Third place1965 1966 France Italy Romania1966 1967 France Romania Italy1969 1970 France Romania ItalyThe FIRA Trophy 1974 97 Edit Year Winner Second place Third place1974 1975 Romania France Italy1975 1976 France Italy Romania1976 1977 Romania France Italy1979 1980 France Romania Italy1981 1982 France Italy Romania1982 1983 Romania Italy Soviet Union1983 1984 France Romania Italy1984 1985 France Soviet Union Italy1990 1992 France Italy Romania1992 1994 France Italy Romania1995 1997 Italy France RomaniaPlayers EditCurrent squad Edit On 29th January Kieran Crowley announced a 33 man squad for the Italy s opening two matches of the 2023 Six Nations matches against France 5 Feb and England 12 Feb 44 Head Coach Kieran Crowley Caps updated 12 February 2023 Player Position Date of birth age Caps Club provinceLuca Bigi Hooker 1991 04 19 19 April 1991 age 31 44 Zebre ParmaMarco Manfredi Hooker 1997 09 18 18 September 1997 age 25 0 Zebre ParmaGiacomo Nicotera Hooker 1996 07 15 15 July 1996 age 26 9 BenettonPietro Ceccarelli Prop 1992 02 16 16 February 1992 age 31 25 BriveSimone Ferrari Prop 1994 03 28 28 March 1994 age 28 42 BenettonDanilo Fischetti Prop 1998 01 26 26 January 1998 age 25 27 London IrishMarco Riccioni Prop 1997 10 19 19 October 1997 age 25 19 SaracensLuca Rizzoli Prop 2002 05 03 3 May 2002 age 20 0 Zebre ParmaFederico Zani Prop 1989 04 09 9 April 1989 age 33 16 BenettonNiccolo Cannone Lock 1998 05 17 17 May 1998 age 24 27 BenettonRiccardo Favretto Lock 2001 10 18 18 October 2001 age 21 0 BenettonEdoardo Iachizzi Lock 1998 05 26 26 May 1998 age 24 2 VannesFederico Ruzza Lock 1994 08 04 4 August 1994 age 28 38 BenettonLorenzo Cannone Back row 2001 01 28 28 January 2001 age 22 5 BenettonMichele Lamaro c Back row 1998 06 03 3 June 1998 age 24 23 BenettonSebastian Negri Back row 1994 06 30 30 June 1994 age 28 42 BenettonGiovanni Pettinelli Back row 1996 03 13 13 March 1996 age 26 9 BenettonJake Polledri Back row 1995 11 08 8 November 1995 age 27 20 GloucesterManuel Zuliani Back row 2000 04 26 26 April 2000 age 22 8 BenettonAlessandro Fusco Scrum half 1999 10 28 28 October 1999 age 23 10 Zebre ParmaAlessandro Garbisi Scrum half 2002 04 11 11 April 2002 age 20 3 BenettonStephen Varney Scrum half 2001 05 16 16 May 2001 age 21 17 GloucesterTommaso Allan Fly half 1993 04 26 26 April 1993 age 29 68 HarlequinsGiacomo Da Re Fly half 1999 03 29 29 March 1999 age 23 1 BenettonPaolo Garbisi Fly half 2000 04 26 26 April 2000 age 22 21 MontpellierIgnacio Brex Centre 1992 05 26 26 May 1992 age 30 20 BenettonEnrico Lucchin Centre 1995 04 04 4 April 1995 age 27 1 Zebre ParmaTommaso Menoncello Centre 2002 08 20 20 August 2002 age 20 8 BenettonLuca Morisi Centre 1991 02 22 22 February 1991 age 31 41 London IrishPierre Bruno Wing 1996 06 28 28 June 1996 age 26 9 Zebre ParmaMatteo Minozzi Wing 1996 06 04 4 June 1996 age 26 24 BenettonAnge Capuozzo Fullback 1999 04 30 30 April 1999 age 23 9 ToulouseEdoardo Padovani Fullback 1993 03 15 15 March 1993 age 29 42 BenettonCoaches EditCurrent coaches Edit Kieran Crowley Head Coach Marius Goosen Defence Corrado Pilat Backs Andrea Moretti Forwards Giovanni Sanguin Skills Coaching history Edit 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 Michel Boucheron 14 May 1936 16 May 1936 2 1 0 1 50 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 1 August 1954 9 6 0 3 66 7 Piermarcello Farinelli 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