Magners League 2010/11

[en_force_er]

[video=youtube;WbBQKFR0Rsk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbBQKFR0Rsk&feature=player_embedded[/video]

Great win by the Trevisian boys, 34-28 over the Scarlets. Addmitedly this was probably not a full strength Scarlets side but as I'm of Venetian decent I'm more than happy to see the rugby up their is coming along smoothly.

The other Italian side Aironi went down 33-17 to Munster. Don't know the details but I wouldn't consider this a shabby result.

So, my questions to you are:
Are you happy to see the Italian sides playing in what is traditionally considered a Celtic league?
If you are happy with it, should the Magners league expand further? And to where?

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

I think it's great for Italian rugby for these teams to be playing in the Magners, it will help them no end. I'm especially happy to see one of them notch up a win.

 

[en_force_er]

Absolutely, they've both played two of the better teams this week (though some would say not at full strength) so we won't know how they will stack up for a while. Things can only get better though as the teams attract more and more Italian talent playing elsewhere back home.

As far as expansion goes I'd love to see Georgia get one side. Georgia consistently makes WCs and can play competitive games against Scotland and Italy, so surely they can support one team.

If we truly want Georgia to become a Rugby nation we need to get their players playing a good standard of professional rugby that doesn't involve shipping off to France.

I'd love to see Russia, a sleeping giant, playing in the league but it's geographic sparsity just counts against it.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Georgia are the next big one, I agree. I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of their footy at the RWC. I gather that a lot of their guys play in France?

 

[en_force_er]

Yeah. Most tier 2 and 3 nation players who are good enough to be professionals play 2nd Div in France, some even 1st.

I think we need to get serious and give Georgia a leg up. After that we need to get Japan some regular and competitive rugby, be it Super Rugby or 3Ns expansion.

If a country is a 2nd tier nation, has a 1st world economy and is in reasonable proximity to other top tier rugger nations proactive action needs to be taken to make them competitive.

 

[DPK]

Disagree, I think Romania are the next big 'uns.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Romania kind of were for a while. I seem to recall some big games between them and France in days of yore. Professionalism changed that I think.

 

[farva]

Georgia doesnt have the player base though does it?
And could it afford to have a pro team?

 

[DPK]

Romania kind of were for a while. I seem to recall some big games between them and France in days of yore. Professionalism changed that I think.

[video=youtube;D5jfuGMYHG4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5jfuGMYHG4[/video]

Sadly, they had bigger problems than just professionalism; Communism and the switch after the fall of the communist government played a huge part.

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Well yes. Deposing your dictator and starting a different form of government will do that.

 

[en_force_er]

Georgia produces a surprising amount of good players for a relatively small player base. Having a professional team would only increase their playing numbers and thus their production of quality players.

Romania could certainly also be contenders but they are still having stability issues. Hell, if stability issues weren't a big deal I'd be suggesting Zimbabwe be targeted heavily.

 

[DPK]

Romania could certainly also be contenders but they are still having stability issues. Hell, if stability issues weren't a big deal I'd be suggesting Zimbabwe be targeted heavily.

So are the Wallabies! Let 'em in

Romania qualified for next years RWC didn't they?

 

[en_force_er]

I mean in terms of their nation rather then their rugby.

I think Romania has to play 2 games against Uruguay for the final WC spot. Unless I'm wrong?

 

[Gooch]

I don't know much about the leagues in Europe, but I can only imagine that it is great for Italy's rugby development for their players to get regular top level rugby.

 

[Thomond78]

Aironi have quite a few French guys - Laharrague scored a beautiful try, Mercier was very good - touring Boere - it seems damn near everyone has a vd Merwe at the moment - and Nick "Hide the buffet, he's back" Williams. But they also have Italians like Perugini, Bortolami and Del Fava and they were good, no question. Composite team, whereas Treviso are just Treviso.

I think it's great. Great trips, good guys to have in, not half-bad teams and good for Italy. Winner all around.

BTW, Italy's best players, like Parisse and the Bergamascos are usually playing in France. At their best, Italy have always played rather Old Skool French rugby; the sort you get from Castres, rather than the jeu du main of, say, Toulouse.

 

[en_force_er]

I'm a bit curious about how the Italian provinces work. Is in like AFL in South Australia where one team represents a former club (Treviso/Port Adelaide) and the other team represents the rest (Aironi/Adelaide Crows)?

That would seem silly, it would be better to have a North Eastern Province based out of Treviso, North Western Province based out of Viadana and efforts should be put in place to develop a Southern Province.

There needs to be clear developmental pathways so the players don't play wherever in the hope they noticed then move.

 

[Thomond78]

Treviso are an individual club. Aironi are a composite, regional team representing Lombardy and Emiglia Romagna, playing out of Parma; Viadana, Parma and Calvisano used all be pushing for the second Italian HEC slot. It's now Aironi instead, who're in the same pool as Ulster, Bath and BO. Which will be a good thing, both for Italy and the HEC; they'll not get through, but I reckon could upset Ulster.

Treviso, btw, beat USA Perpignan in last year's HEC. Major upset. Damn near turned over Northampton, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aironi is accurate. Might want a look at this, too; highlights of their first game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEz34T_tvBs

 

[DPK]

Is anyone else on G&GR Italian or does anyone travel to Italy a lot? I'm from Dignano in Udine, a province pretty close to Treviso.

 

[Thomond78]

Been to Treviso for two HEC games, and Rome twice for 6N games.

Best trip in the 6N, by universal agreement. The nice people pushing around huge wheelie bins full of 66cl bottles of Peroni and Nastro Azzuro (which look like something you'd drop out of a Lancaster onto the Mohne Dam) for sale are lovely folk. Stadio Flaminio needs an upgrade - some nasty squeezes getting in - but the crowds are brilliant. Italians are, more and more, coming to understand and love rugby, even outside of the North. Which is a damned good thing. The day I can wander into town after an away HEC match and get a proper bistecca ai Fiorentina, then our work will be done.

 

[lily]

Zimbabwean Rugby as we all know is a substandard after Mugabi' s crackdowns over the last 30 years, having played in the first and second world cup's their program has gone backwards in the speed of light. Romania who have been present at all the tournaments again is someone that was once a central European powerhouse but again due to internal instability fell away. Lets hope that the invasion of Georgia by Russian troops in 2008 over South Ossetia doesn't destroy them as well. Then again something must be off considering they just sacked Tim Lane who had a winning percentage as coach that anyone would be stoked with. It is these problems that will continue to stop any of these countries having home teams in any of these leagues.
BYB I think it is good for the Italian teams to be involved in the Magners League. Being a subscriber to Setanta I'm enjoying the games as well as the just completed round of the Aviva premiership.