The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in South Africa, and the BKT United Rugby Championship in the competition's other territories, the split branding mirroring the format previously adopted in Super Rugby. The Championship represents the highest level of domestic club or franchise rugby in each of its constituent countries.
The Top10, known as the Peroni Top10 for sponsorship reasons, and formerly Top 12, is Italy's top level professional men's rugby union competition. The Top 10 is run by Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) and is contested by 10 teams as of the 2019–2020 season, following the Italian federation's decision to name Peroni as the official partner of the Top10 competition.
Christopher Douglas Paterson, MBE is an ambassador and specialist coach for the Scotland and Edinburgh rugby union teams. He is a former professional rugby union player who played for Scotland and, for the most part of his career, Edinburgh. Paterson is Scotland's record points scorer with 809 points and second most-capped player with 109 caps. He was capable of playing in a range of positions, including fullback, wing and fly-half.
Benetton Rugby, also known as Benetton Treviso, is an Italian professional rugby union team based in Treviso, Veneto competing in the United Rugby Championship, the European Rugby Challenge Cup and European Champions Cup. Treviso rugby team was founded in 1932 and has won 15 Italian national championships. The team has been owned by the Benetton clothing company since 1979. Treviso have competed in the United Rugby Championship since 2010, and have previously competed in the Italian domestic championship.
Peter Charles Richards is a former English rugby union player. A versatile player, he has played in three positions: scrum half, fly-half and centre. Richards retired in the summer of 2010 because of a back injury. As of May 2015, Richards became head coach at London Scottish.
Andrew Vilk is the responsabile tecnico ‘head coach’ of rugby 7s national side for Italy. A rugby union player who played at centre for Calvisano. He played in the forwards for England Sevens and captained the side in Hong Kong. He has played for Sale Sharks and Northampton saints. He is a strong and powerful runner.
Marco Bortolami is a rugby union coach and retired Italian international player, whose career includes experience playing in the national top-level Italian, French, and English championships, before joining the then recently-born Pro14. Praised for his leadership skills, he captained all the teams he played for at professional level. At international level, he also captained the Italian side since 2002 till the 2007 Rugby World Cup, before being replaced in the permanent role by Sergio Parisse. He currently serves as head coach for Benetton Rugby in the United Rugby Championship.
Rugby union in Italy is governed by the Italian Rugby Federation. Rugby was introduced into Italy in the early 1900s. It is also known as pallovale or palla ovale within Italy. Two Italian professional teams compete in United Rugby Championship, a league that also includes sides from Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. One of the teams is guaranteed a place in the European Rugby Champions Cup; the other normally plays in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. The Top12 is the main national club competition. Four Italian clubs from the national championship compete in a qualifying tournament that awards two places in the Challenge Cup. Italy competes in the Six Nations Championship and Rugby World Cup, and is classified as a tier one nation by World Rugby.
José Manuel Duarte Pinto Neves is a Portuguese rugby union player. He plays as a scrum-half and fullback. He's graduated in medicine.
Andrea Marcato is an Italian rugby union coach and former international player. He won 16 caps for Italy and played in the 2008 and 2009 Six Nations Championships. After the end of his playing career he began coaching and is the head coach of Petrarca Rugby, a position he has held since 2017.
Joe Maddock is a retired rugby union winger/fullback who last played for Saracens F.C. in the Aviva Premiership. He was appointed as attack coach for Bath Rugby on 1 March 2022.
Luke McLean is a former professional rugby union footballer who played as a fullback. Born in Australia to an Italian mother, he won 89 caps for the Italy national team.
Michele Rizzo is a retired Italian former rugby union player. His preferred position was prop but he can also play as a hooker. Rizzo last played for Petrarca, the club where he spent most of his career and where he made his debut in Serie A1 halfway through the 2000–01 season in a match against Viadana. He spent four years between 2014–2018 in England playing 38 times for Leicester Tigers.
Malcolm Changleng is a Scottish former professional rugby union referee. He is the identical twin brother of fellow referee David Changleng.
Gianluca Faliva is a retired Italian rugby union player. He played as a loosehead prop forward.
Tito Tebaldi is an Italian rugby union player. He plays as scrum-half. He made his debut for Italy against Australia on 13 June 2009.
Jayden Hayward is a New Zealand-born rugby union player who played for the Italy national rugby union team and for Benetton Rugby. He can play as a fly-half, centre or fullback.
Mark Giacheri is a former Italian-Australian rugby union player and a current coach. He played as a lock.
Piermassimiliano Dotto, also known as Piero Dotto, was an Italian rugby union player. Dotto played as a fullback and later as a fly-half.
Simone Ragusi is an Italian rugby union player who plays as a full back. He currently plays for Calvisano currently competing in the top tier of the Italian rugby union, the Top12.
