Full name | Rugby Viadana 1970 S.r.l. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Union | Italian Rugby Federation | ||
Founded | 1970 | ||
Location | Viadana, Italy | ||
Ground(s) | Stadio Luigi Zaffanella (Capacity: 6,000) | ||
Chairman | Davide Tizzi | ||
Coach(es) | Filippo Frati | ||
Captain(s) | Brian Ormson | ||
League(s) | Serie A Élite | ||
| |||
Official website | |||
www |
Rugby Viadana 1970 is an Italian rugby union club based in Viadana (province of Mantua, Lombardy). The club was established in 1970, and has since won the Italian championship in 2002, and the Coppa Italia three times. They also compete in European rugby competitions and were runners-up in the European Shield in 2004. Viadana plays in yellow and black. The club did not compete professionally between 2010 and 2012 as they focused their efforts on Aironi. Aironi was based at Viadana's home ground and represented a number of regional teams in the multi-national Celtic League. The FIR withdrew Aironi's licence to play at the end of the 2012, so Viadana reformed as a professional team will play in Italy's top division, the National championship of Excellence, from the 2012–13 season and currently in the Top12.
They were founded in 1970 as a rugby sector in the Vitellianense Cebogas Multisports Club by some ex Rugby Parma F.C. players. They started in the lowest possible league, Serie D.
In 1980–81 Viadana won Serie B but after three years the team were relegated back to Serie C. But they bounced back the following year and won promotion back to Serie B. 1986–87 they won promotion to Serie A2 and finished sixth in their first year. However they were relegated back the following year and didn't return for three years.
They finally won promotion to Serie A in 1998–99. In their first season Arix Viadana won the Coppa Italia and made it to the semifinal of the playoffs. In 2000–01 they finished third in the league but again lost in the semifinal playoffs to Benetton Treviso.
In 2002 the Italian championship was reformed with the birth of Super 10 (now Top12). During this season Arix Viadana finished first and beat favourites Benetton Treviso, in the playoffs, and Calvisano, in the final, to win the title of Italian champion for the first time. They were the first team from outside a provincial capital to do so. They won the Coppa Italia a second time in 2003.
In 2004 they became the first Italian team to have made the final of a European competition when they lost the European Shield final 19–25 to Montpellier. In 2007 they defeated Cammi Calvisano to win their third Coppa Italia. In 2008, despite their relatively experienced team, Viadana were beaten in the semifinals by Benetton Treviso and subsequently lost out on a lucrative Heineken Cup place. In the 2008–09 and 2009–10 Super 10 seasons Montepaschi Viadana reaches the final championship, losing both times against Benetton Treviso.
Viadana were the largest shareholders in Aironi, a new team that competed in the 2010–11 and 2012–12 Celtic League. Many of the club's top players joined Aironi on its formation. As of June 2010 it was announced that will the impending establishment of Aironi the club would no longer compete as a professional club. The Senior and Under 20 teams would be merged with GranDucato Parma Rugby. Viadana would continue as an independent club but only below Under 20 level. [1]
At the end of the 2012 Aironi's licence to play in the Pro12 was withdrawn by the FIR. Aironi's place in the Pro12 was taken by newly formed Zebre, a team based in Parma. Many Aironi players joined Zebre on its formation. [2]
Viadana was then reformed as a semi-professional team for the 2012–13 season of the National championship of Excellence, the reformed Italian championship from 2010, with a number of Aironi's players joining them, as well as the head coach Rowland Phillips. They won three titles of the Excellence Trophy in the 2012–13, 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons.
The 2012–13 was the last season of Silvano Melegari, and of the Arix Group, as president of the club, after 20 years of history. In the summer of 2014, a new company is at the helm of the team, the Rugby Viadana 1970 S.r.l., founded to keep the club at the highest national level, despite economic difficulties. They currently compete in Top12.
The Viadana squad for 2023–24:
Former players who have played for Viadana and have caps for Italy:
Former players who have played for Viadana and have caps for their respective country:
Season | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000-01 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 78 | 147 |
2001-02 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 120 | 210 |
2003-04 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 41 | 61 |
2004-05 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 184 | 50 |
2005-06 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 81 | 244 |
2006-07 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 114 | 145 |
2008-09 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 120 | 126 |
2013-14 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 86 | 356 |
Season | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003-04 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 250 | 166 |
Season | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002-03 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 128 | 348 |
2007-08 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 106 | 208 |
2009-10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 83 | 295 |
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.
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.
Rugby Calvisano is an Italian rugby union club currently competing in the Top12. They are based in Calvisano, in Lombardy. They were founded in 1970 by a group of players: Tonino Montanari, Gianluigi Vaccari and Alfredo Gavazzi. In 1992 the club became “Rugby Calvisano S.r.l.”
Crociati Parma Rugby F.C. are an Italian rugby union club. They are based in Parma in Emilia-Romagna. They were founded in 2010 by the merger of Rugby Parma F.C. and F.C. Rugby Noceto and disbanded in 2014.
Amatori Parma Rugby is a historical Italian rugby union team founded in 1971.
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.
The Coppa Italia, from 2011 to 2018 Excellence Trophy, is a rugby union competition in Italy for domestic clubs. The competition is second to the Top12, the Italian national championship. The competition has been contested annually since 1967, though it was not held from 1974 to 1980, and 1983 to 1994, and again in 1996, 1999 and 2002. The first club to win the competition was CUS Roma.
Paul Kaine Robertson is a rugby union player from New Zealand who plays rugby union for Viadana, and international rugby for Italy.
The 2008-09 Super 10 was the top level Italian domestic rugby union club competition. It ran from September through to May, operated by the Federazione Italiana Rugby. The Super 10 is now called Top12.
Alberto De Marchi is a retired Italian rugby union player. His preferred position is Prop. He previously played for Benetton Treviso in the Pro12 competition. Before that he played for Aironi. He also represented Italy U21s with which he played the Under 21 Rugby World Championship and Italy A.
Aironi Rugby was an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the Pro12 and the Heineken Cup, representing the Italian regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. It lost its status as a regional side at the end of the 2011–12 season, as the Italian Rugby Federation revoked its licence for financial reasons. They were replaced by Zebre from the 2012–13 season.
Zebre Parma are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) and replaced Aironi in the Pro12.
Michael van Vuren is an Italian rugby union player, currently playing with Italian side Colorno, currently competing in Italian Serie A Elite based in Colorno, in Emilia Romagna. Van Vuren, who is a Lock or Number eight played for Zebre in the Pro12 of the rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League.
Kayle Deon van Zyl is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with Italian side Rugby Calvisano, competing in the Top10 and European Rugby Continental Shield. He has the ability to play in any position in the back-line but has thus far mostly featured as a fullback.
Giovanni Maistri is an Italian rugby union player. He plays as a hooker. He currently plays for Benetton Treviso in the Pro14.
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.
Riccardo Brugnara is an Italian prop who plays for Petrarca Padova in the Italian Serie A Elite, previously he played for Leicester Tigers in the Premiership and has played on loan for Doncaster in the Championship.
Giovanni Pettinelli is an Italian professional rugby union player who primarily plays flanker for Mogliano Veneto in the Italian Serie A Elite. He has also represented Italy at international level.
Davide Ruggeri is an Italian rugby union player. His usual position is as a Flanker and he currently plays for Zebre Parma in United Rugby Championship.
Luca Scarsini is an Italian rugby union player. His usual position is as a Prop and he currently plays for Lyons Piacenza in Top12