Aironi

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Aironi
Aironi rugby logo.PNG
Founded 2010
Location Lombardy & Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Ground(s) Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana (Capacity: 6,000)
Coach(es)
Rowland Phillips (Head Coach)[1]
Andrea Moretti (Forwards)
Antonio Zanichelli (Backs)
Andrew Scotney (Backs)[2]
Captain(s) Quintin Geldenhuys
League(s) Pro12
2011–12 12th
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.aironirugby.eu

Aironi Rugby (Italian pronunciation: [aiˈroni], "herons") was an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the RaboDirect 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 RaboDirect Pro12 season, as the Italian Rugby Federation revoked its licence for financial reasons.[3] They were replaced by Zebre.[4]

Home ground

The team played in Viadana at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella. It was expected that Reggio Emilia's Stadio Giglio would be used for larger games but no games required its near 30,000 capacity.

Kit

The team's primary kit was all black with a silver stripe. Their alternative kit was white with a silver stripe. In the Heineken Cup the players wore an all green kit.[5] Their kit was supplied by Adidas.[6]

Member clubs

The formation of the team was made possible by the co-operation of eight existing rugby clubs Rugby Viadana 54%, Colorno 15%, Gran Parma Rugby 10%, Rugby Parma 10%, Noceto 5%, Reggio Emilia 2%, Modena 2% and Mantova 2%.[7] Gran Parma, Rugby Viadana and Colorno have merged as a result of the formation of Aironi to form GranDucato Rugby Parma.[8] Rugby Parma and Noceto have merged to form Crociati (Crusaders) Rugby Parma.[9][10] These mergers were essential as the Super 10 (now National Championship of Excellence) division would have attracted far less sponsorship.

History

After several failed attempts there was doubt 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.[11] Agreement was reached in early March 2010 to allow Italian teams entry to the Celtic League in time for the 2010–11 season.[12] 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 tournament since joining 10 years ago. 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.[13] Most Italian players play in France's Top 14. In order to ensure the new teams deliver players for the national side the Federazione Italiana Rugby have put incentives in place for the new teams. The successful franchises will receive financial support from the FIR to recruit national team players currently playing abroad and fresh home-grown talent. Signing one of Italy's top players, most of whom play abroad, would net clubs €50,000, while other lesser players, mostly plying their trade in the Italian Excellenza series, would scoop €30,000 and €20,000 bonuses.[14]

It was proposed initially Aironi would join along with a new team Praetorians Roma,[15] 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.[16] However Pretorians Roma failed to satisfy the evaluators of their financial muscle and Benetton Treviso were nominated in their stead.[17] This was boosted by Treviso's defeat of USA Perpignan in the Heineken Cup. Praetorians were to be based at the Stadio Flaminio in Rome, where Six Nations matches are currently staged.

2010–11 Debut Season

Aironi had a very difficult debut season. They initially struggled to compete in the Celtic League. Their coach, Franco Bernini, was sacked in November after a run of disappointing losses.[18] They suffered a number of heavy defeats but often when they did lose (particularly at home) they did so by a single score. This is evidenced by the 8 Losing Bonus points received in 22 games.[19] They finally registered their first win against French team Biarritz in December in the Heineken Cup. This was a massive shock as Biarritz had contested the previous year's final.[20] Their first Celtic League win came at home against Connacht on 26 March, which they won 25–13.[21] They finished bottom of the league in 12th.

Magners League Table 2010–11

Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA Try bonus Losing bonus Pts
1 Ireland Munster 22 19 0 3 496 327 +169 44 22 5 2 83
2 Ireland Leinster 22 15 1 6 495 336 +159 50 25 5 3 70
3 Ireland Ulster 22 15 1 6 480 418 +62 44 35 3 2 67
4 Wales Ospreys 22 12 1 9 553 418 +135 56 29 6 7 63
5 Wales Scarlets 22 12 1 9 503 453 +50 49 43 5 7 62
6 Wales Cardiff Blues 22 13 1 8 479 392 +87 37 33 3 3 60
7 Wales Newport Gwent Dragons 22 10 1 11 444 462 −18 47 49 3 4 49
8 Scotland Edinburgh 22 9 0 13 421 460 −39 39 44 2 5 43
9 Ireland Connacht 22 7 1 14 394 459 −65 32 44 3 6 39
10 Italy Benetton Treviso 22 9 0 13 374 502 −128 29 58 0 2 38
11 Scotland Glasgow Warriors 22 6 1 15 401 543 −142 33 48 1 6 33
12 Italy Aironi 22 1 0 21 247 517 −270 21 52 0 8 12
Correct as of 7 May 2011

2010–11 Heineken Cup pool stage - Pool 4

Team P W D L Tries for Tries against Try diff Points for Points against Points diff TB LB Pts
France Biarritz (4) 6 4 0 2 16 9 +7 140 86 +55 4 2 22
Ireland Ulster (8) 6 5 0 1 15 8 +7 145 93 +52 2 0 22
England Bath 6 2 0 4 20 8 +12 147 108 +39 3 3 14
Italy Aironi 6 1 0 5 4 30 −26 65 211 −146 0 0 4

2011–12 Final Season

Aironi again struggled in the Pro12 league and finished last. However they did record four victories, including a notable home win over defending champions Munster[22] and eventual Heineken Cup Semi-finalists Edinburgh.[23][24] In a very tough Heineken Cup group they failed to record any win, or even a losing bonus point. In March Aironi announced they were in financial difficulty. The FIR decided to withdraw their licence for the upcoming season, the death knell for Aironi. Viadana, the primary club behind Aironi applied to take the vacant place in the Pro12 but this was rejected by the FIR.[25] In June 2012 it was announced that the new franchise would be known as Zebre, which is to be based in Parma and be built around Italian players.[26]

Pro12 Table watch · edit · discuss
Club Played Won Drawn Lost Points For Points Against Points Difference Tries For Tries Against Try Bonus Losing Bonus Points
1 Ireland Leinster (F) 22 18 1 3 568 326 +242 48 28 5 2 81
2 Wales Ospreys (C) 22 16 1 5 491 337 +154 44 22 2 3 71
3 Ireland Munster (SF) 22 14 1 7 489 367 +122 45 27 5 4 67
4 Scotland Glasgow Warriors (SF) 22 13 4 5 445 321 +124 34 23 2 3 65
5 Wales Scarlets 22 12 2 8 446 373 +73 43 30 5 5 62
6 Ireland Ulster 22 12 0 10 474 424 +50 53 41 5 3 56
7 Wales Cardiff Blues 22 10 0 12 446 460 −14 43 45 5 5 50
8 Ireland Connacht 22 7 1 14 321 433 −112 27 36 0 7 37
9 Wales Newport Gwent Dragons 22 7 1 14 370 474 −104 27 41 1 5 36
10 Italy Benetton Treviso 22 7 0 15 419 558 −139 41 57 3 5 36
11 Scotland Edinburgh 22 6 1 15 454 588 −134 42 65 2 4 32
12 Italy Aironi 22 4 0 18 289 551 −262 22 54 1 5 22

If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[27]

  1. number of matches won;
  2. the difference between points for and points against;
  3. the number of tries scored;
  4. the most points scored;
  5. the difference between tries for and tries against;
  6. the fewest number of red cards received;
  7. 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. Because Leinster won the 2012 Heineken Cup Final, Ireland earned an extra Heineken Cup place, which will go to Connacht. Aironi were denied a licence for the 2012–13 season due to financial issues; the newly established Zebre side replaced Aironi in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup.

Updated 5 May 2012. Source: RaboDirect PRO12

Squad 2011–12 - Final Season

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

Player Position Union
Tommaso D'Apice Hooker Italy Italy
Antonio Denti Hooker Italy Italy
Davide Giazzon** Hooker Italy Italy
Fabio Ongaro Hooker Italy Italy
Roberto Santamaria Hooker Italy Italy
Matías Agüero Prop Italy Italy
Alberto de Marchi Prop Italy Italy
Andrea de Marchi Prop Italy Italy
Salvatore Perugini Prop Italy Italy
Luca Redolfini Prop Italy Italy
Lorenzo Romano Prop Italy Italy
Fabio Staibano Prop Italy Italy
George Biagi Lock Italy Italy
Marco Bortolami Lock Italy Italy
Filippo Cazzola** Lock Italy Italy
Carlo Del Fava Lock Italy Italy
Joshua Furno Lock Italy Italy
Quintin Geldenhuys (c) Lock Italy Italy
Andrea Benatti Flanker Italy Italy
Mauro Bergamasco Flanker Italy Italy
Nicola Cattina Flanker Italy Italy
Simone Favaro Flanker Italy Italy
Filippo Ferrarini Flanker Italy Italy
Frans Viljoen Flanker South Africa South Africa
Josh Sole Number 8 Italy Italy
Nick Williams Number 8 New Zealand New Zealand
Player Position Union
Giorgio Bronzini Scrum-half Italy Italy
Tyson Keats Scrum-half New Zealand New Zealand
Tito Tebaldi Scrum-half Italy Italy
Naas Olivier Fly-half South Africa South Africa
Luciano Orquera Fly-half Italy Italy
Alberto Benettin Centre Italy Italy
Gilberto Pavan Centre Italy Italy
Gabriel Pizarro Centre Italy Italy
Matteo Pratichetti Centre Italy Italy
Roberto Quartaroli Centre Italy Italy
Riccardo Pavan** Wing Italy Italy
Kaine Robertson Wing Italy Italy
Sinoti Sinoti Wing Samoa Samoa
Giulio Toniolatti Wing Italy Italy
Giovanbattista Venditti Wing Italy Italy
Paolo Buso Fullback Italy Italy
Andrea Masi Fullback Italy Italy
Ruggero Trevisan Fullback Italy Italy

**World Cup Cover

Transfers

Players Out 2012–2013

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ [1][dead link]
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,19077_7587332,00.html
  23. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,19077_7198375,00.html
  24. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/tables/0,25806,3825,00.html#3825
  25. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,19077_7770342,00.html
  26. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,19077_7790039,00.html
  27. ↑ Competition Rule 3.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,19077_7759674,00.html
  30. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3823_7798862,00.html
  31. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,19077_7790240,00.html
  32. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/18496667
  33. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/18460759
  34. ↑ http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2012/06/15/1378290-neveu-pilier-droit-et-furno-2e-ligne-rejoignent-le-club.html
  35. ↑ http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_7855901,00.html
  36. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/19477383

External links

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