Aironi

Aironi

Founded	2010
Location	Lombardy & Emilia Romagna, Italy
Ground(s)	Stadio Luigi Zaffanella (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)	Pro 12
2011–12	12th
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
www.aironirugby.eu

Aironi Rugby (Italian pronunciation: [aiˈroni]; Italian for herons) are an Italian professional rugby team currently competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup. They represent the Italian regions of Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. They will lose their status as a regional side from the end of this RaboDirect Pro12 season, as the Italian Rugby Federation revoked their license over financial reasons^[3].

Home ground

The team play in Viadana at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella. It was expected that Reggio Emilia's Stadio Giglio would be used for larger games but none have so far required its near 30,000 capicity. Parma's Stadio XXV Aprile or Stadio Ennio Tardini may also be used.

Kit

Their primary kit is all black with a silver stripe. Their change kit is white with a silver stripe. In the Heineken Cup they wear an all green kit.^[4] Their kit is supplied by Adidas.^[5]

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%.^[6] Gran Parma, Rugby Viadana and Colorno have merged as a result of the formation of Aironi to form GranDucato Rugby Parma.^[7] Rugby Parma and Noceto have merged to form Crociati (Crusaders) Rugby Parma.^[8][9] These mergers are essential as the Super 10 division will attract far less sponsorship as the playing talent and public interest will now focus on the Italian teams in the Celtic League.

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.^[10] Agreement was reached in early March 2010 to allow Italian teams entry to the Celtic League in time for the 2010–11 season.^[11] The clubs will also be guaranteed places annually into the Heineken Cup which had previously been awarded to the two top teams in the Super 10.

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.^[12] 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 Super 10 series, would scoop €30,000 and €20,000 bonuses.^[13]

It was proposed initially Aironi would join along with a new team Praetorians Roma,^[14] 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.^[15] However Pretorians Roma failed to satisfy the evaluators of their financial muscle and Benetton Treviso were nominated in their stead.^[16] 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.^[17] 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.^[18] 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.^[19] Their first Celtic League win came at home against Connacht on 26 March, which they won 25-13.^[20] They finished bottom of the league in 12th.

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
Biarritz (4)	6	4	0	2	16	9	+7	140	86	+55	4	2	22
Ulster (8)	6	5	0	1	15	8	+7	145	93	+52	2	0	22
Bath	6	2	0	4	20	8	+12	147	108	+39	3	3	14
Aironi	6	1	0	5	4	30	−26	65	211	−146	0	0	4

Squad 2011/12 - Final Season

^[21] 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 Antonio Denti Hooker Italy Davide Giazzon** Hooker Italy Fabio Ongaro Hooker Italy Roberto Santamaria Hooker Italy Matías Agüero Prop Italy Alberto de Marchi Prop Italy Andrea de Marchi Prop Italy Salvatore Perugini Prop Italy Luca Redolfini Prop Italy Lorenzo Romano Prop Italy Fabio Staibano Prop Italy George Biagi Lock Italy Marco Bortolami Lock Italy Filippo Cazzola** Lock Italy Carlo del Fava Lock Italy Joshua Furno Lock Italy Quintin Geldenhuys (c) Lock Italy Andrea Benatti Flanker Italy Mauro Bergamasco Flanker Italy Nicola Cattina Flanker Italy Simone Favaro Flanker Italy Filippo Ferrarini Flanker Italy Frans Viljoen Flanker South Africa Josh Sole Number 8 Italy

Player Position Union Giorgio Bronzini Scrum-half Italy Tyson Keats Scrum-half New Zealand Tito Tebaldi Scrum-half Italy Naas Olivier Fly-half South Africa Luciano Orquera Fly-half Italy Alberto Benettin Centre Italy Gilberto Pavan Centre Italy Gabriel Pizarro Centre Italy Matteo Pratichetti Centre Italy Roberto Quartaroli Centre Italy Riccardo Pavan** Wing Italy Kaine Robertson Wing Italy Sinoti Sinoti Wing Samoa Giulio Toniolatti Wing Italy Giovanbattista Venditti Wing Italy Paolo Buso Fullback Italy Andrea Masi Fullback Italy Ruggero Trevisan Fullback Italy

**World Cup Cover

Transfers 2011-2012

Players In

• Mauro Bergamasco from Stade Français
• Filippo Cazzola from Cavalieri Prato, World Cup cover
• Tommaso D'Apice from Roma Olimpic
• Antonio Denti from Gran Parma
• Filippo Ferrarini from Crociati
• Davide Giazzon from Rovigo, World Cup cover
• Andrea Masi from Racing Métro
• Luciano Orquera from Brive
• Riccardo Pavan from Roma Olimpic, World Cup cover
• Lorenzo Romano from Crociati
• Ruggero Trevisan from Crociati
• Tyson Keats from Taranaki
• Sinoti Sinoti from Hawke's Bay
• Naas Olivier from Griquas
• Frans Viljoen from Cheetahs

Players Out

• Horacio San Martín to Périgueux
• Rodd Penney to Saracens
• Julien Laharrague to Lourdes
• Ludovic Mercier to Saint-Étienne
• Aldo Birchall to Calvisano
• Riccardo Bocchino to Cavalieri Prato
• Pablo Canavosio to Calvisano
• Jaco Erasmus to Calvisano
• Luigi Ferraro to Calvisano
• Ulises Gamboa to Edinburgh
• Luigi Milani to Crociati
• Guilio Rubini to Crociati
• Pietro Travagli to Petrarca
• Mickey Wilson to Rovigo
• James Marshall to Tasman
• Danwel Demas to Boland
• Dylan Des Fountain to Lions
• Gareth Krause to Border Bulldogs
• Vickus Liebenberg to Aix-en-Provence

References

External links

• Rugby Viadana site
• Aironi site
• Aironi Rugby official facebook page
• Aironi Rugby official photo album