 | |||
| Union | Italian Rugby Federation | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The XV of the North-West (il XV del Nord-Ovest) | ||
| Founded | 1973(as Invitational Team – disbanded in 1997) 2012; 13 years ago (2012)(as Professional Team) | ||
| Location | Parma, Italy | ||
| Ground(s) | Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi,Parma (Capacity: 5,000) | ||
| President | Gianni Fava | ||
| Coach | Massimo Brunello | ||
| Captain | Giovanni Licata | ||
| Most appearances | Guglielmo Palazzani (161) | ||
| Top scorer | Carlo Canna (717) | ||
| Most tries | Simone Gesi (30) | ||
| League | United Rugby Championship | ||
| 2024–25 | 15th (Scottish/Italian Shield: 4th) | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
 Current season | |||
Zebre Parma (Italian pronunciation:[ˈdzɛbre], meaning "Zebras") are anItalian professionalrugby union team competing in theUnited Rugby Championship andEPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season.[1] They are based inParma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by theItalian Rugby Federation (FIR) and replacedAironi in thePro12.[2][3][4][5][6]
Zebre Parma, often referred to as "the XV of the North-West" (Italian:il XV del Nord-Ovest), represents the four committees ofEmilia-Romagna,Liguria,Lombardy andPiedmont, which includes tens of thousands of members and several clubs.[7] Since 2018, it represents also teams from others committees likeAbruzzo,Lazio,Marche,Tuscany andSicily.[8] The team was officially namedZebre Parma at the start of the2021–22 United Rugby Championship season.[9][10]
The entry of Italian teams into theCeltic League had been proposed for many years. After several failed attempts, there was hope that a deal for Italian entry would be done in time for the 2010–11 season, with theScots delaying support for entry until changes were made to the Celtic League management structure. In February 2010, it was announced that the planned expansion of the Celtic League was to be put on hold. The reasons were the insistence by existing members that the Italian teams could be ejected after three years. Also, the financial demands that the league placed on the Italians could not be met. The existing teams said this was to cover the need to have larger squads to cover the extra fixtures and additional travel expenses.[11] Agreement was reached in early March 2010 to allow Italian teams entry to the Celtic League in time for the 2010–11 season.[12] The clubs will also be guaranteed places in the annualHeineken Cup, which had previously been awarded to the two top teams in theNational Championship of Excellence.
Italy have failed to make an impact in theSix Nations Championship since joining in 2000. This has largely been blamed on the fact their best players do not have a competitive enough domestic tournament or are forced to play abroad. The fact that the Six Nations decider in 2009 betweenWales andIreland featured 42 Celtic League players out of 44 in their squads supported this notion.[13]
After initial applications in 2010, it was proposed thatAironi would join along with a new team,Praetorians Roma,[14] butBenetton Treviso were nominated instead. Benetton Treviso andDuchi Nord-Ovest could not agree to form one club to represent theVeneto region and lost out in the first round of bidding despite the region being the traditional home of Italian rugby.[15] However, Pretorians Roma failed to satisfy the evaluators of their financial muscle and Benetton Treviso were nominated in their place.[16]
Aironi struggled in their first season; a surprise European Cup win over Biarritz was the only highlight of a campaign in which they managed only one Pro12 victory. At the end of a second season of struggle on the pitch, Aironi succumbed to financial difficulties off it. Their licence to play both in the European Cup and Pro12 was revoked by the Italian Rugby Federation.[17] The Federation decided against another domestic Italian club taking over the running of the licence, instead opting to maintain complete control of a planned new franchise.[18] In June 2012, it was announced that the new franchise would be known as Zebre and based in Parma.[19]
Zebre did not enjoy much success in their first season, 2012–13, finishing bottom after winless campaigns in both thePro12 and theHeineken Cup. Although they finished the subsequent 2013–14 season bottom once again, their performance was much improved, seeing their first victory againstCardiff Blues at theArms Park into Round 3 of Pro12,[20] in a season in which they had five league victories, with their away win in Cardiff followed by home victories against theOspreys,Edinburgh, Cardiff Blues and Italian RivalsTreviso, who finished the season a single point ahead of Zebre. They fared somewhat worse in 2014–15, managing only 3 victories and finishing bottom of the table for the third season running. In the 2015–16 seasons they again earned five victories including back to back victories against Treviso and a bonus-point victory against theNewport Gwent Dragons. Zebre avoided finishing in last place for the first time.[citation needed]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Stormers | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 157 | 39 | +118 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 23 | Qualifies for home URC quarter-final; Qualification for the2026–27 Champions Cup |
| 2 |  Munster | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 89 | +36 | 18 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 23 | |
| 3 |  Glasgow Warriors | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 161 | 64 | +97 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 20 | |
| 4 |  Cardiff | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 111 | 87 | +24 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 20 | |
| 5 | Ulster | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 135 | 103 | +32 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 16 | Qualifies for URC quarter-final; Qualification for the2026–27 Champions Cup |
| 6 | Bulls | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 139 | 147 | −8 | 21 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 14 | |
| 7 | Leinster | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 126 | 136 | −10 | 19 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 8 | Lions | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 133 | 145 | −12 | 18 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| 9 |  Zebre Parma | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 92 | 153 | −61 | 12 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 10 | Qualification for the2026–27 Challenge Cup |
| 10 | Edinburgh | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 109 | 71 | +38 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 9 | |
| 11 | Benetton | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 88 | 129 | −41 | 10 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| 12 | Connacht | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 76 | 74 | +2 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| 13 | Sharks | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 96 | 136 | −40 | 14 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| 14 | Ospreys | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 110 | 140 | −30 | 16 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| 15 | Dragons | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 74 | 151 | −77 | 10 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 16 | Scarlets | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 58 | 126 | −68 | 7 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Founded in 1973 by the former Italian national captainMarco Bollesan,Zebre (English: Zebras) was chosen, in 2012, by theItalian Rugby Federation as the new franchise's name. The name had been used by an invitational select rugby union team based inNorthwest Italy that played regular fixtures between 1973 and 1997. In those 23 years, 25 matches were held against international clubs; and resulted in a high number of victories for Zebre. The opening match was an unofficial test played inMilan in 1973 against the Australian team ofRandwick Sydney, who won 21–50. Zebre had a memorable 48–38 victory against theBarbarians inBrescia in June 1997.[22]
Two other former select teams areDogi (The Doges) based inTriveneto andI Lupi (The Wolves) based inCentral andSouthern Italy.[23]
The team play inParma at theStadio Sergio Lanfranchi, the former home ground ofCrociati Parma and theF.I.R. Academy. Initially, the ground is being refurbished and expanded. Zebre usually hold their summer training camp at Parma University.[24] In its history, Zebre played also official matches in others different homegrounds:
– In the2012–13 Pro12 season atReggio Emilia'sStadio Città del Tricolore, againstLeinster;[25]
– In the2017–18 Pro14 season atStadio Tommaso Fattori ofL'Aquila,Abruzzo, againstDragons;[26]
– In the2018–19 Pro14 season atStadio Luigi Zaffanella ofViadana,Lombardy, againstLeinster[27]
– In the2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup season atStadio San Michele ofCalvisano,Lombardy, againstBrive[28]
– In the2019–20 Pro14 season atStadio Giovanni Mari ofLegnano,Lombardy, againstMunster;[29]
The staff for the 2025–26 season is:[30]
Zebre is mostly based on Italian players, rather than foreigners.[31] In 2012, of the initial list of 36 contracted players, only three were ineligible to play for Italy. Nineteen former Aironi players were included in the original squad. An emphasis on youth development was also visible, with a significant portion of the squad being made up of members ofF.I.R. Academy Ivan Francescato .[24]
| Zebre Parma United Rugby Championship squad[a] | ||
|---|---|---|
Props Hookers Locks | Back row
Scrum-halves Fly-halves | Centres Wings Fullbacks |
| (c) denotes the team captain,Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Italy on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Zebre Parma website.[32]
|
| Zebre Parma Additional Players squad[a][b][c][d][e][f] | ||
|---|---|---|
Props Hookers
Locks | Back row
Scrum-halves Fly-halves
| Centres Wings Fullbacks |
| (c) denotes the team captain,Bold denotes internationally capped players. * denotes players qualified to play for Italy on residency or dual nationality. Players and their allocated positions from the Zebre Rugby and F.I.R. website.[34][35]
|
Former players who have played for Zebre and have caps for their respective country
Eduardo BelloBruno PostiglioniGuillermo Roan
Luke Burgess
Matt Kvesic
Rusiate NasoveKameli RatuvouAsaeli TuivuakaMatías AgüeroAndrea BacchettiMattia BelliniAlberto BenettinMauro BergamascoMirco BergamascoValerio BernabòGeorge BiagiLuca BigiGiulio BisegniMarco BortolamiPierre BrunoPaolo BusoCarlo CannaTommaso CastelloPietro CeccarelliAlberto ChillonDario ChistoliniTommaso D'ApicePaul DerbyshireAndrea De MarchiOliviero FabianiCarlo FestucciaDanilo FischettiJoshua FurnoQuintin GeldenhuysGonzalo GarcíaRenato GiammarioliDavide GiazzonKelly HaimonaTommaso IannoneAndrea LovottiMarco ManfrediAndrea ManiciJohan MeyerMaxime MbandaMatteo MinozziFederico MoriLuciano OrqueraRoberto QuartaroliSamuele PaceEdoardo PadovaniGuglielmo PalazzaniSami PanicoSalvatore PeruginiJake PolledriMatteo PratichettiDaniele RimpelliLorenzo RomanoFederico RuzzaJacopo SartoLeonardo SartoFabio SemenzatoDavid SisiJosh SoleCristian StoianTito TebaldiGiulio ToniolattiJimmy TuivaitiDries van SchalkwykGiovanbattista VendittiMarcello VioliMichele VisentinSamuela VunisaAndrea ZamboninGiosuè Zilocchi
Tommaso Boni
Andrei Mahu
Kurt BakerBrendon LeonardMils Muliaina
Alexandru Țăruș
Failaga AfamasagaSinoti Sinoti
Fetuli PaeaLatu Latunipulu| Season | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | 12th | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 10 | 10 |
| 2013–14 | 12th | 22 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 29 |
| 2014–15 | 12th | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 15 |
| 2015–16 | 11th | 22 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 24 |
| 2016–17 | 12th | 22 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 7 | 19 |
| Season | Conference | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Conference A | 7th | 21 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 8 | 36 |
| 2018–19 | Conference A | 7th | 21 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 19 |
| 2019–20 | Conference A | 6th | 15 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 21 |
| 2020–21 | Conference A | 6th | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 17 |
| Season | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Season | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 16th | 18 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 5 | 9 |
| 2022-23 | 16th | 18 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 11 | 11 |
| 2023-24 | 16th | 18 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 9 | 15 |
| 2024-25 | 15th | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 29 |
| Season | Pool/Round | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Pool 5 | 3rd | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| 2015–16 | Pool 4 | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| 2017–18 | Pool 3 | 3rd | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| 2018–19 | Pool 4 | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| 2019–20 | Pool 4 | 3rd | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| 2020-21 | Preliminary stage | 5th | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Round of 16 | Zebre Rugby 27-35Bath Rugby | |||||||
| 2021-22 | Pool A | 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 2022-23 | Pool A | 10th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | Pool 1 | 4th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Round of 16 | Sharks 47-3 Zebre Rugby | |||||||
| 2024-25 | Pool 1 | 6th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Season | Pool/Round | Pos | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Bonus | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Pool 3 | 4th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013–14 | Pool 3 | 4th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | Pool 2 | 4th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
(correct as of 26 Oct 2025)
Bold indicates active player
| Category | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Tries | Simone Gesi | 30 |
| Appearances | Guglielmo Palazzani | 161 |
| Points | Carlo Canna | 717 |
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Since November 2023, theFranchise has also had a women's team, which plays official tests with Spanish team.[36]
