Rugby league in Italy
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Rugby league is a popular team sport promoted to Italians either living in Italy or abroad.
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[edit] National team
The Italian national rugby league team was revived in 1995 by passionate Italian-Australians. Today, the teams are made up mostly, if not by all, Italians living abroad or Australians of Italian ancestry. Thus far promotion of the Italian rugby league team has focused on Australians with an Italian heritage but that is soon to change, when the Italian Rugby League will form its first rugby league competition
[edit] History
Rugby league was established in Italy prior to the 1950s, during which they played a host of other European teams. The 1950s were probably the highest point of international rugby league and just about the point where a few European teams would lose interest. Italy was not left out on this occasion, despite playing host to the World Champions twice in 1959 when Australia defeated Italy 37-15 in Padua (attendance 3,500) and defeated Italy again 67-22 at Treviso (attendance 3,105). It would be left to two pioneering Australians to get the game back up and running.
Italian rugby league was revived in 1995 through the passion of a couple of enthusiasts by the names of Mick Pezzano and John Benigni. Both were determined to have a rugby league team representing their origins compete again on the world stage. This dream was soon realised when the Italian team was invited to play in the 1995 World Sevens, which was Italy's first game since the 1960s.
Italy went on to record their first win, in their first year and play many other international tournaments such as the Super League World Nines and the 1997 World Sevens to name a few. There where also a number of one-off international appearances against a Lebanese Sevens team, a Lebanese 13 a side team in a promotional match for the Mediterranean Cup and in 2004 when Italy played Greece in Sydney.
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Rugby League Playing Nations |
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| Oceania |
American Samoa | Australia | Cook Islands | Fiji | New Caledonia | New Zealand | Niue | Papua New Guinea | Samoa | Tokelau | Tonga |
| Asia | |
| Home Nations | |
| Continental Europe |
Austria | Czech Republic | Estonia | France | Germany | Georgia | Greece | Hungary | Latvia | Moldova | Netherlands | Russia | Serbia |
| Africa | |
| Americas | |
| National Teams based in Australia | |
