Rugby Club I Cavalieri Prato
Rugby Club I Cavalieri is a rugby union team from the city of Prato, Italy. They play in the 2011-12 version of the National Championship of Excellence having finished 2nd in the 10/11 season; losing to Petrarca, the eventual champions, in the semi-final.
History
The team was formed in 2000 through the merger of three existing rugby clubs: i Sorci Verdi, the first rugby team in Prato who were founded in 1958; S.S. Rugby Prato and Rugby Iolo.
During the 2005/06 season, they qualified for the Serie A play-offs for the first time. Hoping for promotion to the Super 10, they won the first leg off their semi-final before losing the home leg and going out with a lower aggregate score.
In the following season, they won both legs of the semi-final before losing the final 13-10 to Venezia.
A successful campaign in the 2008-09 Serie A sees them promoted to the 2009-10 version of the Super 10 after beating L'Aquila in the promotion playoff 25-18.
In their first season Cavalieri ended the regular season at the fifth place of Super10 2009-10 and achieved the right to take part in the European Challenge Cup.
Cavalieri were drawn in Pool 1 Amlin Challenge Cup 2010-11 with Harlequins (ENG), Connacht (IRL) and Bayonne (FRA). The Cavalieri won their European debut against Connacht on the 9th October 2010 23 - 21. The only Italian side to win on that opening day in the European Cups. The first away game against Harlequins was lost 57 - 17.
In June 2010 Cavalieri Prato merged with other 10 Tuscan rugby clubs to form "Cavalieri Toscana Rugby Eccellenza", a new rugby franchise with the aim to represent the professional élite rugby of region Tuscany.
Current squad
2011/2012 Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.
Notable Former Players
Past Years Table Endings
- 2000/2001 2^ serie B
- 2001/2002 1^ serie B (promoted to serie A)
- 2002/2003 3^ serie A
- 2003/2004 3^ serie A
- 2004/2005 5^ serie A
- 2005/2006 2^ serie A (lost to Futura Park Roma at playoff semifinal)
- 2006/2007 2^ serie A (lost to Venezia at playoff final)
- 2007/2008 2^ serie A1 (lost to L'Aquila at playoff semifinal)
- 2008/2009 1^ serie A1 (payoff winner to L'Aquila and serie A Italian Champion, promoted to Super 10)
- 2009/2010 5^ Super 10 (Amlin Challenge Cup qualifier)
- 2010/2011 2^ Excellence (lost to Petrarca at playoff semifinal)
See also
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