Rugby Roma Olimpic

Rugby Roma Olimpic
Full name S.S.D. Rugby Roma Olimpic a r.l.
Union Federazione Italiana Rugby
Founded 1930
Location Rome, Italy
Ground(s) Stadio "Tre Fontane" di Roma
President Paolo Abbondanza
Coach(es) Danie De Villiers
Jaco Stoumann
League(s) Campionato Nazionale Eccellenza (Italian premiership)
Team kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.rugbyroma.com/

Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Rugby Roma Olimpic (italian for Amateur Sport Club Rugby Roma Olimpic ) are an Italian professional rugby union team.

Based in Rome, the senior team competed in the Italian top tier competition, the Super 10. Rugby Roma's home ground was the Tre Fontane Stadium, located in the Roman south-western suburb of EUR.

The club have won 5 Italian titles, in 1935, 1937, 1948, 1949 and 2000, and have competed in the 2000-01 Heineken Cup, though losing all the matches in their 1st stage pool.

In 2010 Rugby Roma's head coaches were Danie De Villiers and Jaco Stoumann

History

The team was founded in October 1930, from the ashes of A.S.Roma Rugby (1929) and Lazio Rugby (1928), clubs associated with the football clubs of the Italian capital, when, after two seasons bankruptcy, under the management of the soccer clubs the decision was taken to form a separate organisation devoted to Rugby. The colours adopted were those of the San Isidro Athletic Club: black and white.

The new team were soon successful, winning the championship in the 1934-35 season and again in 1936-37, before financial difficulties restricted ambitions during the war years.

A resurgent post war team were champions again in 1948 and 1949, before further lean years throughout the fifties and sixties, during which the team were relegated.

The subsequent years saw the arrival of a new coach (Dick Greenwood  England) during the 70's. The club also toured East Africa in 1976, playing games against teams like East Africa and Scorpions RFC. Rugby Roma qualified for the Italian play-offs in 1985, before further difficulties resulted in another relegation.

The next boom period led to All-black imports, victory in the Italian cup in 1998 and a fifth championship in 2000 before yet another financial crisis resulted in relegation once more.

After narrowly missing out in successive years, in the 2008-2009 season the club returned to the top tier of Italian Rugby. In 2009 they joined with Capitolina to form Futura Park Rugby Roma.

In the spring of 2011 the club closed down as a result of financial difficulties.

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.

Player Position Union
Tommaso D'Apice Hooker Italy
Marcelo Martino Hooker Argentina
Adrien Vigne Donati Hooker France
Girolami Bombaci Prop Italy
Nicolas De Gregori Prop Argentina
Gianmarco Duca Prop Italy
Fabio Gentili Prop Italy
Matteo Pietrosanti Prop Italy
John Rawson Prop New Zealand
Michael Aldridge Lock Australia
Alessandro Boscolo Lock Italy
Emiliano German Lock Argentina
Andrea Pegoretti Lock Italy
Paolo Alfonso Damiani Flanker Italy
Emanuele Leonardi Flanker Italy
Lance Persico Flanker Italy
Gabriele Cicchinelli Number 8 Italy
Alberto Saccardo Number 8 Italy
Player Position Union
Ricardo Casasanta Scrum-half Italy
Nicola Leonardi Scrum-half Italy
Carlo Vannini Scrum-half Italy
Luciano Rodriguez Fly-half Argentina
William Helu Centre Tonga
Giovanni Manozzi Centre Italy
Luke Myring Centre England
Riccardo Pavan Wing Italy
Leopoldo Scarnecchia Wing Italy
Pietro Valcastelli Wing Italy
Diego Varani Wing Italy
Sergio Bernardi Fullback Italy
Fabrizio Del Bubba Fullback Italy
Gregorio Rebecchini Fullback Italy

See also