Rugby Rovigo Delta, formerly known until 2010 as Rugby Rovigo, is an Italian rugby union club currently competing in the Serie A Élite. They are based in Rovigo, in Veneto.

Rugby Rovigo Delta
Full nameRugby Rovigo Delta S.r.l.
UnionItalian Rugby Federation
Founded1935; 89 years ago (1935)
LocationRovigo, Italy
Ground(s)Stadio Mario Battaglini (Capacity: 5,500)
PresidentFrancesco Zambelli
Coach(es)Alessandro Lodi
Captain(s)Matteo Ferro
League(s)Serie A Élite
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.rugbyrovigodelta.it

Overview

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The club was founded in 1935 by medical student Dino Lanzoni, who discovered rugby at university.

They quickly became one of the strongest Italian sides and won 14 titles between 1951 and 2023. They have never been relegated from the top flight of Italian rugby union. They are the current Italian champion.

Current and former Rovigo players include Elio De Anna, Stefano Bettarello, Stefano Bordon, Alessandro Moscardi, Carlo Orlandi, Carlo Checchinato, Mirco Bergamasco, Manuel Contepomi, AJ Venter, Gert Smal, Viliami Ofahengaue and Naas Botha.

Honours

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  • Italian championship
    • Champions (14): 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1987–88, 1989–90, 2015–16, 2020–21, 2022-23
    • Runners-up (7): 1988–89, 1991–92, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2021−22
  • Coppa Italia/Excellence Trophy
    • Champions (1): 2019-20
    • Runners-up (3): 1997–98, 2005–06, 2013−14

Current squad

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The Rovigo Delta senior squad for 2024–25 is:

 
First historic shirt c. 1935
 
View of the Rovigo Stadium
Rovigo Delta squad

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 Rovigo Delta website.[1][2]

Selected former players

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Italian players

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Former players who have played for Rovigo and have caps for Italy:

Overseas players

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Former players who have played for Rovigo and have caps for their respective country:

References

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  1. ^ "First XV". Rurby Rovigo Delta.
  2. ^ "DEFINITI I PERCORSI INDIVIDUALI DEGLI ATLETI DELL'ACCADEMIA DEL BENETTON RUGBY". Benetton Rugby (in Italian). 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
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