Super 10 (Italian premiership)

Infobox sports league
title= Super 10

sport=Rugby union
founded=1929
pixels=70
teams=10
country=ITA
champion=Ghial Rugby Calvisano

The Super 10 is the highest tier of the national rugby union competition in Italy. The first Italian championship took place in 1929 with 6 of the 16 teams that existed in Italy. In 2002 the Italian championship was restructured with the strongest ten teams taking part in the new Super 10 competition, and the old Series A became the second division of Italian rugby union. The competition runs from September to May. After a home-and-away season, the top four teams play a knock-out competition to decide the championship and the bottom team is relegated. The leading Super 10 teams qualify to play against teams from the other leading rugby union nations in Europe in the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup.

Teams 2008/09

* Unione Rugby Capitolina
* Rugby Roma Olimpic
* ARD Rovigo
* Arix Viadana
* Benetton Treviso
* Venezia Mestre Rugby FC
* Ghial Rugby Calvisano
* Overmach Rugby Parma
* Safilo Petrarca Rugby Padova
* SKG Gran Rugby

Overview

Parma (Overmach Rugby Parma and SKG Gran Rugby) and Rome (Capitolina and Rugby Roma) are the only cities to have two teams. The majority of the other teams are either from Veneto or Lombardy in the North of Italy. Treviso, Viadana and Calvisano have dominated the championship in recent years.

Over time Italian rugby union has evolved; the clubs are better equipped, better organised and have begun to train their players better. There is more sponsorship money and an influx of foreign players (some of whom have gone on to represent Italy after qualifying under the 3 year rule). In 2005 the FIR decided to introduce a rule requiring teams to field at least 12 Italians out of their 22 man squad. The top Italian players often play in France which means that the Italian league is not a particularly good place to build the national team.

Despite rising playing standards and more media attention on rugby union, Italian teams competing in the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup, have generally struggled to compete against the more established teams of France and England as well as the provinces and regions of Ireland and Wales. In response to this both John Kirwan, the former Italian coach, and David Pickering, the WRU chairman, have suggested that merged Italian teams should enter the Celtic League [ [Top-level Italian exports threaten to damage domestic product http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2006/mar/19/sixnations2006.rugbyunion6] ] [ [PICKERING: WE HAVE TO IMPROVE LEAGUE http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=161366&command=displayContent&sourceNode=258861&home=yes&more_nodeId1=161375&contentPK=20934679] ] .

Format

Currently the Italian leagues are structured in the following way:-

* Italian Elite Championship (Super 10) made up of 10 teams
* Serie A: 2 divisions of 12 teams who play each other home and away
* Serie B: divided in 4 divisions of 12 teams who play each other home and away
* Serie C: regional divisions
* Under 19 Championship: 3 divisions of 10 teams who play each other home and away

Past winners

Performance by club

:

ee also

* Rugby union in Italy
* Italy national rugby union team
* Heineken Cup
* European Challenge Cup
* European Shield

References

External links

* [http://www.legarugby.it Official site]