The future of Italian Rugby

[Canalina Profile]

And L'Aquila have barely 70,000 inhabitants, so that amount of crowd is even more significant.
The two italian franchises won 16 out of 39 games this year, definitively a season over the estimations. Treviso is still in course for a place in Champions

[Canalina Profile]

Eccellenza's semifinal, first leg: Rovigo v Calvisano. Currently 6-6, just half an hour to the end

[STMKY Profile]

What is the Italian federation thinking about a new professional league with a rich Russian sponsor, which will include teams from Italy, Romania, Georgia, Germany and Russia?

[Canalina Profile]

I don't know. Is it a solid hypothesis or just a hope? The scenario would be fascinating, of course, but the problem are always money. Would it attract enough public? Enough media interest? It's difficult to answer.
Anyway there's already this underestimated but precious Continental Shield. The rich russian sponsor could start taking care of it. With more funds, the Continental Shield could increase the days of play so becoming a more solid tournament

[STMKY Profile]

As far as I understand it is a full season league like the Celtic League. They also want to use the experience of international leagues with the participation of Russian teams from hockey (KHL) and basketball (League VTB). At the moment, positive negotiations were held with the Georgian federation.

[Canalina Profile]

I didn't know about it. Maybe you discuss it in an other thread but I can't follow all the threads of the forum and I missed it. I think in Italy no one is aware about this project. I doubt it will work for italian clubs; usually the italian fans are not so much interested in trans-national championships, even if I don't know why. Let's see how the negotiations evolve

[victorsra Profile Website]

Serie A, the Italian second division, will have the following semifinals:

Lyons Piacenza - Verona

Valsugana Padova - CUS Genova

The winner will be promoted, because Eccellenza will be expanded from 10 to 12 clubs. It would be interesting a Genoa club in the Eccellenza.

[Buffalo Profile]

Does rugby exist on Sardinia? I don't know if it's been discussed here before. And though it's a French island, does it share sports with Corsica since they're so close together compared to their respective mainlands?

And what's it like in Sicily? I only remember hearing about Amatori Catania.

[victorsra Profile Website]

Sardinia had a club in Serie A few years ago (before being relegated) called Amatori Alghero. The most interesting thing is that Alghero is a small town in the west coast of the island that is CATALAN. They speak Catalan there! They are in Serie B now.

There was another Sicilian club that played recently the Eccellenza: San Gregorio, in 2011-12. But they were relegated and the last time I heard the club went bankrupt (or something like that). Not sure what happened since.

[Figaro Profile]

Zebre's victory over Treviso on the weekend means that both Italian teams have had their best ever seasons in the Celtic/PRoX leauge. The conference system has probably benefitted Treviso a little - they got 2 games each versus the absolutely dire Dragons and Kings - but had the opposite effect on Zebre, who despite finishing bottom of their conference (just - Connacht got a shock win over Leinster) ended with more points than either the Dragons or the Kings. So no small achievement for both. Let's hope they can press on next season - both will be playing in the Challenge Cup (and Treviso should have a good seeding) so there's a real chance there will be a first Italian qualifier for a European quarter final.

[Blurandski Profile]

Zebre's victory over Treviso on the weekend means that both Italian teams have had their best ever seasons in the Celtic/PRoX leauge. The conference system has probably benefitted Treviso a little - they got 2 games each versus the absolutely dire Dragons and Kings - but had the opposite effect on Zebre, who despite finishing bottom of their conference (just - Connacht got a shock win over Leinster) ended with more points than either the Dragons or the Kings. So no small achievement for both. Let's hope they can press on next season - both will be playing in the Challenge Cup (and Treviso should have a good seeding) so there's a real chance there will be a first Italian qualifier for a European quarter final.

There's still a chain of events that leads to Treviso playing in the Champions Cup. All Challenge Cup semi-finalists would have to auto qualify for the Champions, and Leinster win the Champions. In that case there is a Treviso/Ospreys playoff in Italy.

[Figaro Profile]

I thought what they needed was for a Pro14 team that's already auto-qualified (i.e. Cardiff Blues) to win the Challenge Cup? That way the Pro14 gets an extra entry which gives Ulster the bye and opens the door for Treviso to play Ospreys in the playoff. I think if Gloucester wins the trophy the extra place goes to the English Prem.

[victorsra Profile Website]

The rules: http://epcrugby.com/europeanrugbychampi ... /index.php

• Guinness PRO14 (7): The three highest ranked clubs from each conference. The fourth-ranked clubs from each conference will play off for the seventh place. (NB South African clubs are not eligible.)

• TOP 14 (6): The six highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.

• Aviva Premiership (6): The six highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.

In accordance with a decision of the EPCR Board comprising the nine unions, federations and league bodies, the 20th place in the Champions Cup will be determined as follows:

i) Champions Cup winner, if not already qualified
ii) Challenge Cup winner, if not already qualified - Gloucester not already qualified
iii) Challenge Cup losing finalist, if not already qualified - Gloucester not already qualified
iv) Play-off match between the losing Challenge Cup semi-finalists, if not already qualified - Pau not already qualified
v) Highest ranked non-qualified club by virtue of league position from the same league as the Champions Cup winner - if Gloucester and Pau qualify via Premiership and Top 14, Top 14 (if Racing wins the CC) or PRO14 (if Leinster wins the CC).

If it is Leinster the CC champions, Ulster will qualify directly, and the PRO14 qualy playoff will be Ospreys vs Treviso. According to the PRO14 rules:

3.2.7 The seven Clubs that qualify to participate in the 2018/19 EPCR Champions Cup will be made up of the following:

The three highest ranked European Clubs in each conference at the end of the League Stage (South African Clubs ineligible)
The winner of a single play-off Match between the next highest ranked European Club in Conference A and the next highest ranked European Club in Conference B.
The single play-off Match will be played at the home venue of the European Club that (as between the two participating Clubs) has the most League Points at the end of the League Stage. If level on points the normal deciding criteria will apply: Points Difference, Tries Scored, Try Difference, etc

https://www.pro14rugby.org/competition- ... blVRccc.99

This means Treviso needs to cheer for Leinster in the Champions Cup, Gloucester in the Premiership and Pau in the Top 14 to have a chance to play the Ospreys.

[Canalina Profile]

Tomorrow and sunday the two semifinals return leg live on youtube

Saturday, 16.00 CET: Petrarca Padova v Fiamme Oro Roma (first leg 36-27)


Sunday, 17.00 CET: Calvisano v Rovigo (9-12)

[Canalina Profile]

Verona and Valsugana Padova, both from Veneto region, are promoted to Eccellenza 2018/19, which will increase from 10 to 12 clubs. They defeated in semifinal, a bit surprisingly, Piacenza and Genova. With the two newly promoted clubs the elite of italian rugby (Celtic League + Eccellenza) amounts now 7 teams from Veneto on a total of fourteen teams. Here is the inevitable map (green=Pro14, red=Eccellenza)

[olivier]

Ridiculous. Eccellenza will soon look like Bundesliga...

[sk 88 Profile Website]

Well its not the Veneto club's fault that the rest of the country's not good enough.

[Canalina Profile]

Tomorrow, 17.00 CET, the match for the national title

Calvisano v Petrarca Padova

live on www.therugbychannel.it

[Canalina Profile]

Petrarca Padova won 19-11 with two drop goals, two penalty kicks and a conversion by Menniti-Ippolito, plus a try by winger Simone Rossi (Italy Emerging)
6,500 spectators according to the official stats

[4N Profile]

Decent crowd

[victorsra Profile Website]

Awesome image.

Canalina, tell me: what Petrarca or Rovigo supporters think about Treviso in PRO14?

[beber Profile]

Do you know Manu Atunaisa? He's a tongan winger, just arrived in Viadana and at the debut scored 4 tries (against my city's squad )
Tries like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oExuYj ... be&t=1m49s
or this https://youtu.be/4oExuYjWHeA?t=2m52s

Is he really a phenomenon as he seemed or was mostly favored by my squad's defensive weakness?
He comes from the Crusaders academy

Signed for Stade Français

[Canalina Profile]

Japan v Italy, tomorrow morning at 7.45 CET, will be live on website https://it.eurosport.com, but I suppose it's probable it will be geoblocked

[Canalina Profile]

https://video-it.eurosport.com/rugby/ru ... ideo.shtml

If it works outside our borders

[nick511 Profile]

https://video-it.eurosport.com/rugby/rugby-test-match-giappone-italia_vid1098253/video.shtml

If it works outside our borders

Works here in NZ without a VPN