The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri (the Blues). Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They were the holders of the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy, in 2011, played for annually against France.
Italian Rugby really came to prominence in 2000 when it was added to the Five Nations, creating the Six Nations. Initially on the end of some heavy defeats, the side has grown in competitiveness, recording a fourth place finish in 2007, and even in defeat, lop-sided losses are less frequent. The Azzurri have shown respectable results when playing at home in recent years. During the 2011 Six Nations, the side played three home games which resulted in a 22–21 victory over France, and were only 12 points in combined deficit to securing victories over Ireland and Wales, lost 11–13 and 16–24 respectively. Italy are ranked eleventh in the world by the IRB as of 26 September 2011.
Italy have also competed at every Rugby World Cup since the first tournament in 1987, but have yet to progress beyond the first round. The team has developed a reputation for being a consistent middle player at the tournament. Italy's showings at the 2003, 2007 and 2011 Rugby World Cup have consistently followed a formula where they managed two wins and two losses during the pool stages.
The current head coach is Jacques Brunel. Number eight Sergio Parisse is their current captain.
Read more about Italy National Rugby Union Team: Strip, Record, Stadium & Attendance, Overall
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