Zebre

Zebre

Union	Italian Rugby Federation
Founded	1973 (as Invitational Team - disbanded on 1997) 2012 (2012) (as Professional Team)
Location	Parma, Italy
Ground(s)	Stadio XXV Aprile, Parma (Capacity: 3,500)
Coach(es)	Andrea Cavinato
Captain(s)	Gonzalo Garcia
League(s)	Pro 12
2012–13	12th
Official website
www.zebrerugby.eu

Zebre (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdzɛbre], meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup from the 2012/13 season.^[1] They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the FIR and replaced Aironi in the Pro12.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

History

Entry by Italian teams into the Celtic League had been proposed for many years. After several failed attempts there was hope that a deal for Italian entry would be done in time for the 2010/2011 season, with the Scots delaying support for entry until changes were made to the Celtic League management structure. In February 2010 it was announced that the planned expansion of the Celtic League was to be put on hold. The reasons were the insistence by existing members that the Italian teams could be ejected after three years. Also the financial demands the league placed on the Italians could not be met. The existing teams said this was to cover the need to have larger squads to cover the extra fixtures and additional travel expenses.^[7] Agreement was reached in early March 2010 to allow Italian teams entry to the Celtic League in time for the 2010–11 season.^[8] The clubs will also be guaranteed places annually into the Heineken Cup which had previously been awarded to the two top teams in the National Championship of Excellence.

Italy have failed to make an impact in the Six Nations Championship since joining in 2000. This has largely been blamed on the fact their best players do not have a competitive enough domestic tournament or are forced to play abroad. The fact that the Six Nations decider in 2009 between Wales and Ireland featured 42 Celtic League players out of 44 in their squads supported this notion.^[9]

After initial applications in 2010 it was proposed that Aironi would join along with a new team Praetorians Roma,^[10] but Benetton Rugby Treviso were nominated instead. Benetton Treviso and Duchi Nord-Ovest could not agree to form one club to represent the Veneto region and lost out in the first round of bidding despite the region being the traditional home of Italian rugby.^[11] However Pretorians Roma failed to satisfy the evaluators of their financial muscle and Benetton Treviso were nominated in their place.^[12]

Aironi struggled in their first season. Only a surprise European Cup win over Biarritz was the only highlight of a campaign that saw them manage only one Pro 12 victory. At the end of a second season of struggle on the pitch, Aironi succumbed to financial difficulties off it. Their licence to play both in the European Cup and Pro 12 was revoked by the Italian Rugby Federation.^[13] The Federation decided against another domestic Italian club taking over the running of the licence, instead opting to maintain complete control of a planned new franchise.^[14] In June 2012 it was announced that the new franchise would be known as Zebre and based in Parma.^[15]

Zebre did not enjoy much success in their first season, enduring winless campaigns in both the Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. The first official victory arrives only in the second season against Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park into Round 3 of Pro 12.^[16]

Current standings

Pro 12 Table
	Club	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points For	Points Against	Points Difference	Tries For	Tries Against	Try Bonus	Losing Bonus	Points
1	Munster	13	11	0	2	323	201	+122	31	13	4	0	48
2	Leinster	13	9	1	3	294	203	+91	28	18	4	3	45
3	Ulster	13	9	0	4	254	177	+77	23	15	3	2	41
4	Ospreys	13	8	1	4	300	226	+74	28	16	3	3	40
5	Glasgow Warriors	11	9	0	2	177	148	+29	16	7	0	1	37
6	Scarlets	13	5	1	7	240	259	−19	22	25	1	5	28
7	Newport Gwent Dragons	12	5	0	7	209	210	−1	15	15	0	4	24
8	Edinburgh	11	5	0	6	202	255	−53	18	27	1	1	22
9	Cardiff Blues	13	4	1	8	253	328	−75	15	30	0	4	22
10	Benetton Treviso	12	3	1	8	231	258	−27	18	29	0	5	19
11	Zebre	13	2	1	10	204	313	−109	19	28	0	4	14
12	Connacht	13	2	0	11	171	280	−109	14	24	0	5	13
If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[17] number of matches won; the difference between points for and points against; the number of tries scored; the most points scored; the difference between tries for and tries against; the fewest number of red cards received; the fewest number of yellow cards received.
Green background (rows 1 to 4) are play-off places. Qualification for the Heineken Cup is based on each country's allocation, i.e. three highest–ranked Irish teams, three highest–ranked Welsh teams, both Italian teams and both Scottish teams. Updated 9 February 2014. Source: RaboDirect PRO12

The team

Name History

Originally founded in 1973 by former Italy's captain Marco Bollesan, Zebre (English: Zebras) was chosen, in 2012, by the Italian Rugby Federation as the new franchise's name. Previously the name had been used by an invitational select rugby union team based in Northwest Italy that played regular fixtures between 1973 and 1997. In 23 years were held 25 matches against international clubs with a high number of victories. The opening match was disputed in Milan on 1973 in an unofficial test against the Australian team of Randwick Sydney, won by them for 21-50. Memorable the victory against the Barbarians (48-38) in Brescia on June 1997.^[18] Other selections are I Dogi (based in Triveneto) and I Lupi (based in Central and Southern Italy).

Stadium and training

The team play in Parma at XXV Aprile Stadium, the home ground of Crociati Parma and F.I.R. Academy. Initially the ground is being refurbished and expanded. Zebre usually hold their summer training camp at Parma University.^[19] They played one match in the 2012–13 Pro 12 season at Reggio Emilia's Stadio Città del Tricolore, against Leinster.^[20]

Staff and coaching team

• Director of Rugby - Roberto Manghi
• Technical Director - Andrea Cavinato
• Assistant Coaches - Vincenzo Troiani and Umberto Casellato
• Team Manager - Fabio Ongaro
• Fitness coach - Silvano Garbini
• Video analyst - Luca Sisti

Players

Zebre is mostly based around Italian players, rather than foreigners.^[21] In 2012, of the initial list of thirty-six contracted players, only three were ineligible to play for Italy. Nineteen former Aironi players were included in the original squad. An emphasis on youth development was also visible, with a significant portion of the squad being made up of members of the Italian Rugby Federation Academy.^[19]

Current Squad

2013/14 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 Davide Giazzon Hooker Italy Andrea Manici Hooker Italy Matías Agüero Prop Italy Andrea de Marchi Prop Italy Dario Chistolini Prop Italy Carlo Fazzari Prop Italy Luciano Leibson Prop Argentina Salvatore Perugini Prop Italy Dave Ryan Prop Ireland Luca Redolfini Prop Italy George Biagi Lock Italy Marco Bortolami Lock Italy Filippo Cazzola Lock Italy Quintin Geldenhuys Lock Italy Michael van Vuuren Lock Italy Mauro Bergamasco Flanker Italy Nicola Cattina Flanker Italy Filippo Cristiano Flanker Italy Filippo Ferrarini Flanker Italy Emiliano Caffini Number 8 Italy Dries van Schalkwyk Number 8 South Africa Samuela Vunisa Number 8 Fiji

Player Position Union Alberto Chillon Scrum-half Italy Brendon Leonard Scrum-half New Zealand Guglielmo Palazzani Scrum-half Italy Tommaso Iannone Fly-half Italy Luciano Orquera Fly-half Italy Gonzalo García (C) Centre Italy Roberto Quartaroli Centre Italy Kameli Ratuvou Centre Fiji David Odiete Wing Italy Matteo Pratichetti Wing Italy Leonardo Sarto Wing Italy Giulio Toniolatti Wing Italy Giovanbattista Venditti Wing Italy Dion Berryman Fullback New Zealand Paolo Buso Fullback Italy Ruggero Trevisan Fullback Italy

• Players in bold capped internationally.
• Players and their allocated positions from the Zebre Rugby Website^[22]

Permit Players 2013/2014

•  Lorenzo Giovanichelli Hooker  (Cavalieri Prato)^[23]
•  Giovanni Scalvi Hooker  (Rugby Reggio)
•  Agustin Cavalieri Lock  (Rugby Calvisano)^[24]
•  Giacomo Bernini Flanker  (Cavalieri Prato)^[25]
•  Edoardo Ruffolo Flanker  (Rugby Rovigo Delta)
•  Nicola Benetti Scrum-half  (Fiamme Oro Rugby)
•  Kelly Haimona Fly-half  (Rugby Calvisano)^[26]
•  Andrea Marcato Fly-half  (Petrarca Rugby)
•  Simone Ragusi Fly-half  (Rugby Rovigo Delta)
•  Enrico Ceccato Centre  (Rugby Mogliano)^[24]
•  Giuglio Bisegni Centre  (Lazio Rugby)^[27]
•  Ross McCann Centre  (Rugby Rovigo Delta)
•  Michele Visentin Wing  (Rugby Calvisano)

Transfers 2013/2014

Players In

• Dario Chistolini from Gloucester Rugby
• Brendon Leonard from Chiefs
• Tommaso Iannone from Benetton Treviso
• Giulio Toniolatti from Benetton Treviso
• Dion Berryman from Rugby Club I Cavalieri Prato
• George Biagi from Bristol Rugby
• Guglielmo Palazzani from Rugby Calvisano
• Samuela Vunisa from Rugby Calvisano
• Kameli Ratuvou from Saracens
• Tommaso D'Apice from Gloucester Rugby

Players Out

• Tito Tebaldi to Ospreys
• Sinoti Sinoti to Wellington
• Daniel Halangahu to RC Narbonne
• Alberto Chiesa to Rugby Calvisano
• Luca Martinelli to Fiamme Oro Rugby
• Josh Sole to Bay of Plenty Steamers
• Nicola Belardo to Rugby Calvisano
• Samuele Pace to Rugby Colorno
• Flavio Tripodi to Rugby Colorno
• Alberto Benettin to Valsugana Rugby
• Carlo Festuccia to London Wasps
• Carlo Fazzari to Petrarca Rugby

Selected former players

Season records

Celtic League/Pro12

Heineken Cup

See also

• Pro12
• Heineken Cup
• Aironi

References

External links

• Official Site (Italian)
• Zebre section on Official Pro 12 Site (English)
• Official Facebook Page (Italian)
• Official Twitter Page (Italian)