| Rugby union in Italy | |
|---|---|
 The badge on the national uniform | |
| Country | Italy |
| Governing body | Italian Rugby Federation |
| National team(s) | Italy |
| Nickname(s) | Azzurri |
| First played | early 1900s |
| Registered players | 153,176 (total)[1] |
| Clubs | 1,024 |
National competitions | |
Club competitions | |
Rugby union in Italy is governed by the Italian Rugby Federation. Rugby was introduced into Italy in the early 1900s. It is also known as pallovale or palla ovale ("oval ball") within Italy.[2] Two Italian professional teams (Treviso and Zebre) compete in United Rugby Championship, a league that also includes sides from Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. One of the teams is guaranteed a place in the European Rugby Champions Cup; the other normally plays in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. The Top12 is the main national club competition. Four Italian clubs from the national championship compete in a qualifying tournament that awards two places in the Challenge Cup. Italy competes in the Six Nations Championship and Rugby World Cup, and is classified as a tier one nation by World Rugby (formerly the International Rugby Board).
- ^ "International Rugby Board - ITALY". Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
- ^ Francesco Sabatini e Vittorio Coletti, Scheda sul vocabolo "pallovale", in Il Sabatini Coletti - Dizionario della Lingua Italiana, Corriere della Sera, 2011, ISBN 88-09-21007-7.