Rugby Viadana 1970 is an Italian
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
club based in
Viadana Viadana may refer to:
Surname
* Lodovico Grossi da Viadana (c. 1560 – 1627), Italian composer, teacher, and Franciscan friar
* Gilberto Viadana (born 1973), Italian figure skater
Other
* Viadana, Lombardy, a town in the province of Mantua, Lom ...
(
province of Mantua
The Province of Mantua ( it, provincia di Mantova; Mantovano, Lower Mantovano: ; Upper Mantovano: ) is a province in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Mantua. It is bordered to the north-east by the Province o ...
,
Lombardy
Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...
). The club was established in 1970, and has since won the Italian championship in 2002, and the
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
three times. They also compete in European rugby competitions and were runners-up in the
European Shield
The European Shield (known as the Parker Pen Shield for sponsorship reasons) was a repechage tournament for teams knocked out in the first round of the European Challenge Cup. As such, it formed Europe's third-tier club rugby union competition ...
in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
. Viadana plays in
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...
and
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
. The club did not compete professionally between 2010 and 2012 as they focused their efforts on
Aironi
Aironi Rugby (, "herons") was an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the Pro12 and the Heineken Cup, representing the Italian regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. It lost its status as a regional side at the end of the 2011–12 ...
. Aironi was based at Viadana's home ground and represented a number of regional teams in the multi-national
Celtic League
The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...
. The
FIR withdrew Aironi's licence to play at the end of the 2012, so Viadana reformed as a professional team will play in Italy's top division, the
National championship of Excellence, from the 2012–13 season and currently in the
Top12
The Top10, known as the Peroni Top10 for sponsorship reasons, and formerly Top 12, is Italy's top level professional men's rugby union competition. The Top 10 is run by Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) and is contested by 10 teams as of the 2019â ...
.
History
They were founded in 1970 as a rugby sector in the Vitellianense Cebogas Multisports Club by some ex Rugby Parma F.C. players. They started in the lowest possible league, Serie D.
In 1980–81 Viadana won Serie B but after three years the team were relegated back to Serie C. But they bounced back the following year and won promotion back to Serie B. 1986–87 they won promotion to Serie A2 and finished sixth in their first year. However they were relegated back the following year and didn't return for three years.
They finally won promotion to Serie A in 1998–99. In their first season Arix Viadana won the
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
and made it to the semifinal of the
playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
. In 2000–01 they finished third in the league but again lost in the semifinal playoffs to
Benetton Treviso.
In 2002 the
Italian championship was reformed with the birth of Super 10 (now
Top12
The Top10, known as the Peroni Top10 for sponsorship reasons, and formerly Top 12, is Italy's top level professional men's rugby union competition. The Top 10 is run by Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) and is contested by 10 teams as of the 2019â ...
). During this season Arix Viadana finished first and beat favourites
Benetton Treviso, in the playoffs, and
Calvisano
Calvisano (Brescian: ) is a ''comune'' in the Italy, Italian province of Brescia, in Lombardy.
It is the manufacturing base of Lones Spa, manufacturer of Fly Flot shoes. Agritech is a known fiberglass silos company.
Sport
Its rugby union team, ...
, in the final, to win the title of Italian champion for the first time. They were the first team from outside a provincial capital to do so. They won the
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
a second time in 2003.
In
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
they became the first
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
team to have made the final of a
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an competition when they lost the
European Shield
The European Shield (known as the Parker Pen Shield for sponsorship reasons) was a repechage tournament for teams knocked out in the first round of the European Challenge Cup. As such, it formed Europe's third-tier club rugby union competition ...
final 19-25 to
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
. In 2007 they defeated
Cammi Calvisano to win their third
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
. In 2008, despite their relatively experienced team, Viadana were beaten in the semifinals by Benetton Treviso and subsequently lost out on a lucrative
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
place. In the 2008–09 and 2009–10
Super 10
The Super 10 was a rugby union football tournament featuring ten teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Tonga, and Western Samoa. The competition ran for three years from 1993 to 1995 and was the predecessor of Super 12 and Super 14, ...
seasons Montepaschi Viadana reaches the final championship, losing both times against
Benetton Treviso.
Viadana were the largest shareholders in
Aironi
Aironi Rugby (, "herons") was an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the Pro12 and the Heineken Cup, representing the Italian regions of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. It lost its status as a regional side at the end of the 2011–12 ...
, a new team that competed in the
2010–11 and
2012–12 Celtic League
The Celtic League is a pan-Celtic organisation, founded in 1961, that aims to promote modern Celtic identity and culture in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall and the Isle of Man – referred to as the Celtic nations; it places part ...
. Many of the club's top players joined Aironi on its formation. As of June 2010 it was announced that will the impending establishment of Aironi the club would no longer compete as a professional club. The Senior and Under 20 teams would be merged with GranDucato Parma Rugby. Viadana would continue as an independent club but only below Under 20 level.
At the end of the 2012 Aironi's licence to play in the
Pro12
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...
was withdrawn by the
FIR. Aironi's place in the Pro12 was taken by newly formed
Zebre
Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...
, a team based in
Parma
Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...
. Many Aironi players joined Zebre on its formation.
Viadana was then reformed as a semi-professional team for the 2012–13 season of the
National championship of Excellence, the reformed Italian championship from 2010, with a number of Aironi's players joining them, as well as the
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Rowland Phillips. They won three titles of the
Excellence Trophy in the 2012–13, 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons.
The 2012–13 was the last season of Silvano Melegari, and of the Arix Group, as president of the club, after 20 years of history. In the summer of 2014, a new company is at the helm of the team, the Rugby Viadana 1970 S.r.l., founded to keep the club at the highest national level, despite economic difficulties. They currently compete in
Top12
The Top10, known as the Peroni Top10 for sponsorship reasons, and formerly Top 12, is Italy's top level professional men's rugby union competition. The Top 10 is run by Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) and is contested by 10 teams as of the 2019â ...
.
Honours
*
Italian championship
** Champions (1): 2001–02
** ''Runners-up (3)'': 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10
*
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
** Champions (3): 1999–2000, 2002–03, 2006–07
** ''Runners-up (2)'': 2003–04, 2004–05
*
Excellence Trophy
** Champions (3): 2012–13, 2015–16, 2016–17
*
European Shield
The European Shield (known as the Parker Pen Shield for sponsorship reasons) was a repechage tournament for teams knocked out in the first round of the European Challenge Cup. As such, it formed Europe's third-tier club rugby union competition ...
** ''Runners-up (1)'':
2003–04
Current squad
The Viadana squad for 2022–23:
Selected former players
Italian players
Former players who have played for Viadana and have caps for Italy:
*
MatÃas Agüero
*
Andrea Benatti
*
Cristian Bezzi
*
Luca Bigi
Luca Bigi (born 19 April 1991) is an Italian professional rugby union player who primarily plays hooker for Zebre Parma of the United Rugby Championship. He has also represented Italy at international level, having made his test debut against S ...
*
Giorgio Bronzini
*
Pablo Canavosio
Pablo Canavosio (born 26 December 1981 in Córdoba, Argentina) is an Italian Argentine rugby union footballer. Canavosio played for Rovigo, Calvisano, Castres Olympique and Aironi. His usual position is at scrum half or wing.
Canavosio has b ...
*
Sandro Ceppolino
Alessandro Diego Ceppolino, known as Sandro Ceppolino (born 8 August 1974 in Villa Ballester), is a former Argentine-born Italian rugby union player and a current coach. He played as a centre.
Ceppolino played at Universitário de Córdoba, in Arg ...
*
Carlo Del Fava
Carlo Antonio Del Fava (born 1 July 1981) is a South African-born Italian former rugby union player. His preferred position was Lock. After hanging his boots up he then decided to take up coaching.
Del Fava was born in Mthatha, South Africa to ...
*
Santiago Dellapè
*
Jaco Erasmus
Jaco Erasmus (born 31 July 1979) is a South African-born Italian rugby union naturalized player. He plays as a flanker.
He played for Rugby Viadana where he gained qualification for the Italian national team. In March 2008 he received a call up ...
*
Ignacio Fernández Rouyet
Ignacio Fernandez Rouyet (born 22 October 1978, in Buenos Aires) is an Argentina-born Italian rugby union player.
Rouyet, who is a prop, played for Rugby Viadana before signing for Benetton Treviso in 2009. He made his debut for Italy against ...
*
Joshua Furno
Joshua Furno (born 21 October 1989) is an Italian rugby union player who plays Lock for US Dax in Pro D2. He also represents Italy as a member of the Italian national team.
Career
Raffaele Joshua Furno was born in Australia but grew up in It ...
*
Quintin Geldenhuys
Quintin Geldenhuys (born 19 June 1981) is a South Africa-born Italian rugby union player. Geldenhuys, who played lock, represented the Italian URC franchise Zebre. He made his debut for Italy against Australia on 13 June 2009. He qualified for ...
*
Andrea Masi
Andrea Masi (born 30 March 1981) is a retired Italian rugby union footballer. His usual position was in the centres but he has also played at fly-half and at full-back. His last club before retirement was the English Premiership club Wasps. In ...
*
Matteo Mazzantini
*
Ian McKinley
*
Andrea Moretti
*
Carlos Nieto
*
Corrado Pilat
Corrado Pilat (born 24 September 1974 in Belluno) is a former Italian international rugby union player and a current coach.
He played as a fullback and as a fly-half.
He played professionally for Benetton Treviso, from 1998/99 to 200/01, where h ...
*
Samuele Pace
*
Gilberto Pavan
*
Riccardo Pavan
*
Roberto Pedrazzi
*
Aaron Persico
*
Matthew Phillips
*
Matteo Pratichetti
*
Roberto Quartaroli
*
Juan Manuel Queirolo
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
*
Kaine Robertson
*
Lorenzo Romano
*
Federico Ruzza
*
Diego SaccÃ
*
Mario Savi
*
Stefano Saviozzi
*
Michele Sepe
Michele Sepe (born 8 October 1986) is an Italian rugby union player. Sepe, who is a wing, plays club rugby for Fiamme Oro Rugby. He made his debut for Italy against Japan on 11 June 2006.
Biography
Sepe began his career at Lazio, with whom he ...
*
Josh Sole
Josh Sole (born 15 February 1980) is a retired New Zealand born rugby union player, currently playing for Heartbeat Tigers Rugby Union in Dubai. He has been capped for the Italian national team, making his debut in 2005 against Argentina
...
*
Cherif Traorè
*
Pietro Travagli
Pietro Travagli (born 28 April 1981) is an Italian rugby union player. He plays as a scrum-half.
He plays for Petrarca in the Top12.
He was called up to the Italy squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship.
On 7 February 2011, he joined Airo ...
Overseas players
Former players who have played for Viadana and have caps for their respective country:
*
Germán Araoz
*
Julio-César GarcÃa
*
Juan Cruz GuillemaÃn
Juan Cruz GuillemaÃn (born 21 August 1992) is an Argentine rugby union footballer who plays as a lock for the Argentine Super Rugby side and the Argentina national rugby union team.
Career
Cruz started his career playing for his local club ...
*
Javier Rojas
*
Tom Bowman
*
Lloyd Johansson
*
Phil Murphy
Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...
*
Tom Beim
Tom Beim (born 11 December 1975 in Frimley, England) is a former rugby union footballer, who played on the wing for Sale, Gloucester, Viadana, Pertemps Bees, the Barbarians and England. He is now a professional polo player for Lodge Services ...
*
Isoa Neivua
Isoa Coalala Neivua (born 7 June 1978 in Mosimosi, Sigatoka, Fiji) is a Fijian rugby union player. He plays as a wing or centre.
Career
Playing in Fiji, he moved from Navosa to Nadroga in 2003 to get more chance of being spotted by for the nati ...
* –
Luca Tramontin
Luca Tramontin (born 22 February 1966) is an Italian former rugby union footballer, and television sports personality. He is the creator and co-writer of the TV Series "Sport Crime".
He has played for Italy, Switzerland, and Hungary. He has also ...
*
Dion Waller
Dion Alan George Waller (born 6 January 1974 in TÅ«rangi) is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer. He played for the Wellington Lions, Hurricanes, New Zealand Maori and All Blacks. He was one of the leading locks in New Zealand rugby at ...
*
Mark Finlay
*
Brett Harvey Brett Harvey may refer to:
* Brett Harvey (Canadian director), Canadian director, writer and cinematographer
* Brett Harvey (English director), English film writer and director
* Brett Harvey (rugby union)
Brett Andrew Harvey (born 6 October ...
*
Sam Harding
*
Tana Umaga
Jonathan Ionatana Falefasa Umaga (; ; born 27 May 1973) is a New Zealand former rugby union footballer and former captain of the national team, the All Blacks. Since 2016 he has been coach of the Blues in the Super Rugby competition.
He played ...
*
Daniel Farani
*
Dominic Fe'aunati
*
Ali Koko
*
Siaosi Vaili
*
Stuart Moffat
*
Inoke Afeaki
Inoke Afeaki (born 12 July 1973 in Tofoa, Tongatapu) is a Tongan former rugby union footballer, coach and administrator. He has played professionally in New Zealand, Japan, Wales, France and Tonga, and coached in France, New Zealand and Singapor ...
*
Pierre Hola
Pierre Hola (born 9 June 1978) is an Australia-born rugby union footballer. He has represented Tonga and currently plays his club rugby in the Australian Shute Shield for Eastwood.
Career
Hola made his debut for Tonga in September 1998 in a ma ...
*
Dave Tiueti
*
Nick Civetta
Nick Civetta (born November 5, 1989) is an American professional rugby player currently playing for Rugby United New York (RUNY) of Major League Rugby. He also plays internationally for the United States rugby team. He plays as a second row.
...
*
Adrian Durston
*
Sonny Parker
Statistics
European Challenge Cup (1996–2014)
European Shield
Heineken Cup (1995–2014)
References
External links
Official site
{{Rugby union in Italy
Italian rugby union teams
Rugby clubs established in 1970
1970 establishments in Italy
Sport in Lombardy