Ten years after their entry into the Six Nations, Italian rugby has been handed another major boost with the news that two of their biggest rugby clubs will enter the Magners League next season.
Benetton Treviso and the renamed Viadana will enter the Celtic competition later this year in the sure and certain hope that it will make Italian rugby more competitive.
Rugby union standards in Italy have been improving steadily over the past decade and, as this year’s Six Nations championships have proved, it probably won’t be too long before they’re competing for results against every nation in the tournament.
Understandably, there had been a few concerns from some of the existing clubs in the Magners League that the introduction of two Italian sides could result in them losing out financially – and also that they might not have the required facilities - but these fears have been averted after thorough criteria checks.
Celtic Rugby first announced that two Italian teams had agreed in principle to join the league in March 2009. Since then, a lot of research and planning has gone in to ensuring the two teams will comfortably slot into the competitive league without any hiccups.
As a result of the new changes, the Magners League will now extend from 10 to 12 teams. At the present time there are four Welsh, four Irish and two Scottish sides; and all three Celtic Unions agreed to the introduction of the two new Italian entrants.
Both Benetton Treviso and the newly named Aironi Rugby are based in northern Italy and will compete at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo and Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, respectively.
It’s Aironi, who will come into next season’s Magners League as the unknown quantity, though. Formed with players from a whole host of Italian outfits including Rugby Parma, Reggio Emilia and most notably, Viadana, the new rugby franchise will be keen to make a big impact in their inaugural season in the league.
The two sides’ stay in the Magners League will last at least four years after receiving a license for that length of time. But if the scheme is a success then it’s widely-presumed that it will be extended, and there’s a good chance that it will become a permanent switch.
Italy have struggled to make an impact in the Six Nations since their inclusion in 2000, but perhaps this is the most significant moment yet in helping the country to develop and progress as a rugby union nation.
The Italian players will undoubtedly benefit from playing against better European players; while more money will be ploughed into the two clubs and hopefully the next generation will take a keener interest in the sport back in Italy.
Nick Mallet, the head coach of the Italy national team, has championed these new developments and commented that it will have a positive impact of the competitiveness of the squad in future years.
So, is this is the moment which signals the beginning of Italy’s progression from Six Nations whipping boys to Six Nations dark horses?
Quite possibly. But it will take time to come to fruition.
Instant results are unlikely to be yielded; and Italy won’t win the 2011 Six Nations championships or indeed the 2011 Rugby World Cup - that much is for sure. However, it is the start of a promising new era in Italian rugby.
Italy are sleeping giants, poised in slumber, ready to one day unleash their true potential. And this latest boost is a hefty nudge to their body.
The Celtic teams might regard Benetton Treviso and Aironi as two sides to take easy points from – but they could well be sorely mistaken next season.
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