Quote ="Earl of Derby"Why do you keep on bringing abou RU - That is not the point of the post =
We are arguing the fact that Italy: Which does not have a competition or any significant presence on his soil - neither an officially rcognise body is playing in a top comp - thanks to their diaspora
Some of us are criticsing the spin made about it in order to pretend something is happening there -
Actually you have not answered my question - who did you actually see play in Padova? When was is?
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Dear Everybody
I'll take this last quote just as point of start to give you some more information about RL in Italy.
My name is Matteo and I'm involved officially in RL not as a player but as a sort of non-profit promoter.
I will try to solve all your doubt... maybe
So: RL after its rebirth by australian guys in 1995 moved its own first [idomestic [/isteps 4 years ago when in 2005 Simone Franchini died on the rugby field. He was one of the first RU players really involved also in RL. He moved to australia to practice it at high level. This is our point of start cause his twin brother Tiziano decided to create a Nine's trophy known as Simone Franchini's Memorial or Veneto's Nine this is usually hold in early june. Teams are mainly from europe (national selections and clubs) and Italy (two national selections with [idomestic [/iplayers and an essemble with some aussies and italians) last two (of four) ediction had been won by BARLA.
In the last three years it had been held an embrionic domestic championship composed by three, two and four teams respectively. All of the players were italians RU players. The last [ichampionship[/i was with gone and return matches.
In the last [iseason[/i more than 80 RU players were involved in RL and since two years ago it has started a propaganda at both junior and senior level between RU clubs available to open also to RL code.
In 2008 the previous Italian Rugby League association had been shifted to F.I.R.L. the official (even if non-professional) RL Italian Board with Tiziano Franchini as president.
During the 2008 and 2009 Italy won twice the Euro Shield against Germany and Czech Rep. performing a team half composed by foreign players with italian heritage anf half composed by players involved in the italian domestic RL [ichampionship [/iand Veneto's Nine.
As you have probably noted I wrote championship and domestic in italic form as I'm agreed with some of your opinion about RL in Italy, it isn't developed and spread as it is in homenations countries or France.
But still the movement exits and despite everything it is expanding with more than ever contacts with rugby union fans. Another point that you have yo consider when you concern about Rugby League in Italy is that here there's not even space for Union, everything is obscured by soccer, F1 or MotoGP. So our main objective is to keep a strong connection with RU trying to not keep the codes in different sides but to work to cooperate between each other. Giving players the opportunity to keep their role in RU and to practice also RL is the way we will do. When time will come to develop some pro or semipro team to insert in a full RL competition we will move for sure in that direction, our goal is more than clear. But we will always try to don't create a fracture between the codes, we are convinced that working in team is better that going alone.
In this status it came as a bolt the Euro Cup calling as Russia gave up. The nearest team with better performances to the 5 remaining was Italy... that's it. We know it but we will do all that will be in our possibility to keep this role alive trying to win one match. Despite this more than half of the players called for the training squad is italian [iRL domestic players[/i.
From this september the real first italian player has been called by Lyon XIII club to play with them. He is at the moment gaining the regular player jersey. He's name is Matthew Sands the guy how create the Padua based team and its FB page. His father is american, his mother italian and he is in Italy since he was 6 y.o. and he has never practiced RL or RU outside of Italy before
and we are really proud of him
So in this terms I hope to have helped to clear some of your doubts and to improve your consideration of RL in Italy, despite we are stil so poor you have to be warned... we will beat you all soon or later
The official web site of italian board is
www.firl.it ...give me some time to refresh it we are few and the things to do more than a human being can effort by him self. You can obtain more infos at
f.dipietro@firl.it,
io.porcorosso@yahoo.it (its me) and here replying.
Inside my signature you'll find a link to the RL thread (your opinion will be more tha appreciated) that is not so large as yours but it is pretty a big goal for us if you consider the last one was just few messages.
Ok I wrote more than patience can support (and sorry for english mistakes
).
Greetings PR
and we are really proud of him 
). 
... down under 
