New Italian Team

jacothelad

Former Bayonne coach Christian Gajan has been named the Director of Rugby at Italy's new Pro12 franchise, which will be based in Parma.

Let's hope they don't make a ham fist of it. No more hamateurism.

durkadurka

Did you really have to hambush us with such awful puns?

I wonder will they be signing hambipropsterous front rows?

Tox56

This is turning into a hambles, I don't think I can hamdle anymore puns

freyners

do ye have to start hamming up this parma thing, I hamnt impressed:D

shuffol

Ham I the only one who finds this thread a little cheesy?

mikedragon32

Mmmm. Another team to hambush us on tricky away games.

totallegend

This decision to set up a Parmesan team must have really grated with people in Rome.

connemara man

I hope they dont make a pigs ear of if

WeeBushy

mikedragon32 wrote: »

Mmmm. Another team to hambush us on tricky away games.

Hogwash, it will be a few years before we worry about them being competitive. Although Ospreys did do the triple hammy on us this season so we can't be over confident.

durkadurka

Pigs will fly before Parma make a success of it.

thomond2006

Hopefully they will slice up defences.

hmmmmmmm slices....

wp_rathead

They should sign Stuart Hogg


...bottom of the barrel/trough stuff now with the puns..

some of these puns are going to leave you liable for prosciutto-ion lads!

connemara man

Maybe but as long as they dont play a boaring brand of rugby itll grand

[Jackass]

What a bunch of hogwash! Whoever made this decision is some swine! I can already here the squeals coming from the Roma contingent.

My main concern though is that I don't know how well our players will cope in the bacon heat over there.

fitz

Hopefully this new team can save Italian rugby's bacon.
Careful with the carrying on all the pun's though lads...you'll have Washman3 in here complaining that everyone is just trying to jambon the bandwagon.

JonnyF

in all seriousness though it's an improvement, direct flights to parma with ryanair

also anyone looking for some good rugby swag hop on to the aironi site, they've a load of kit heavily reduced, got a jersey and hoodie for a tenner each, collectors items

jacothelad

totallegend wrote: »

This decision to set up a Parmesan team must have really grated with people in Rome.

That's a very cheesy post.

chupacabra

Ham.

am I funny yet?

thomond2006

Zzippy

Right, all of you who hammed it up with the offal puns are going on ignore for 2 weeks. Except totallegend, that one was quite funny...

This place is like After Hours sometimes!

pickarooney

JonnyF wrote: »

in all seriousness though it's an improvement, direct flights to parma with ryanair

also anyone looking for some good rugby swag hop on to the aironi site, they've a load of kit heavily reduced, got a jersey and hoodie for a tenner each, collectors items

What's the address? The first google result throws up a broken site

WeeBushy

pickarooney wrote: »

What's the address? The first google result throws up a broken site

I think this is it: http://store.aironirugby.eu but it says there's no products currently available (when you google translate it!) so I'm not sure.

JonnyF

maybe i just made the cut, i made the order last monday and got the stuff yesterday from dhl, you can also check

www.merchandisingplaza.com

just checked the site and looks like it's all gone, that's lucky for me i guess. sorry i didn't let you all know sooner.

nice kit though, got that turquoise H Cup shirt with all the badges, including a rabo badge, for about a tenner

Winters

What does Zebra meet taste like?

funky penguin

Ham.

chupacabra

.....the zebras? what?

Robbo

Puns aside, all the smart money was on a Rome based franchise. What's the rugby scene like in Parma? Do they have a backer like Parmalat supplying serious cheddar?

Fishooks12

The Zebras!!! Possibly the lest intimidating team name ever !

JonnyF

on a par with the Herons really

thomond2006

The Parma Hammers would have been a better name.

pickarooney

It works all right for Juventus.

Winters

I understand the move to an urban location but I'd like to know why they felt the need to make a completely new and stupid sounding team.

Why not just continue the Aironi name? Or why not use the Parma name?

Can't see this being any better than Aironi either on the pitch or off it.

errlloyd

Winters wrote: »

I understand the move to an urban location but I'd like to know why they felt the need to make a completely new and stupid sounding team.

Why not just continue the Aironi name? Or why not use the Parma name?

Can't see this being any better than Aironi either on the pitch or off it.

Aironi was probably a company that declared bankruptcy, and they probably can't use the name as it may be owned by creditors.

Winters

Perhaps I jumped the gun.. according to the Pro 12 site it isnt a new name:

Zebre were originally founded in 1973 as invitational club for North-Western Italy.

[Jackass]

Leinster Rugby have released the poster that will be used for our first game with the new franchise.

CIARAN_BOYLE

[Jackass] wrote: »

Leinster Rugby have released the poster that will be used for our first game with the new franchise.

So we are going to go easy on them by playing the Leinster Ladies team against them??

Duckworth_Luas

Winters wrote: »

Perhaps I jumped the gun.. according to the Pro 12 site it isnt a new name:

I've often heard of touring sides playing against the Italian Zebras, a similar concept to the French Barbarians.

Hagz

Get ready for the most original rugby logo of all time, you've never seen anything like it. It's a massive change from this

Hagz

CatFromHue

The new coaching staff look good or certainly more well known anyway.

Director of rugby: Roberto Manghi
Technical director: Christian Gajan
Coaches: Vincenzo Troiani, Alessandro Troncon
Team Manager: Fabio Ongaro
Fitness coach: Massimo Zaghini

"Christian Gajan was indicated by Italy Head Coach Jacques Brunel and appointed as technical director: The 53-year-old frenchman has a strong knowledge of Italian rugby having coached Benetton Treviso from 1998 to 2000 and Venezia Mestre in the 2008/09 season. Gajan also coached Stade Toulousain and Castres Olympique, winning the European Shield in 2003 with Castres."

I think Gajan was also in charge at Bayonne for awhile.

"Gajan will be assisted by Vincenzo Troiani and Alessandro Troncon as coaches. Troiani reached the Eccellenza semi finals as head coach in 2005/2006 season winning the Italian Cup in the same year. He then coached Italy U18 and Italy U20 and was part of the technical staff at the U20 andU18 National Academies. Troncon, the all-time most capped Italian player with 101 appearances, retired in 2007, and was then appointed as Italy backs coach, a position he held until the end of the 2012 RBS 6 Nations."

http://www.rabodirectpro12.com/news/14196.php

jacothelad

Winters wrote: »

What does Zebra meet taste like?

Horse.

leftleg

bamboozle

have these guys signed any players yet?

TheKeenMachine

Safari have no good Zebra puns

jacothelad

TheKeenMachine wrote: »

Safari have no good Zebra puns

They'd have to be puns of a different stripe entirely.

pickarooney

TheKeenMachine wrote: »

Safari have no good Zebra puns

Took me a minute to get that

Monty Burnz

Hans that does dishes can be soft as Gervais with wild green hairy-lipped squids.

/thread