Rugby Club I Cavalieri is a rugby union team from the city of Prato, Italy. They play in the 2010-11 version of the Super 10

Super 10 (Italian premiership)

The withdrawal of Viadana and Benetton Treviso from the league has been compounded by club mergers. Rugby Viadana, Gran Parma and Colorno have merged to form GranDucato Rugby. Overmach Parma and Noceto have merged to form Crociati, both new clubs to be based in Parma. These changes created 2...

 having been classified 5th in the 09-10 Super 10 just missing out on the play-off.

History

The team was formed in 2000 through the merger of three existing rugby clubs: i Sorci Verdi, the first rugby team in Prato who were founded in 1958; S.S. Rugby Prato and Rugby Iolo.

During the 2005/06 season, they qualified for the Serie A play-offs for the first time. Hoping for promotion to the Super 10, they won the first leg off their semi-final before losing the home leg and going out with a lower aggregate score.

In the following season, they won both legs of the semi-final before losing the final 13-10 to Venezia.

A successful campaign in the 2008-09 Serie A sees them promoted to the 2009-10 version of the Super 10 after beating L'Aquila in the promotion playoff 25-18.

In their first season Cavalieri ended the regular season at the fifth place of Super10 2009-10 and achieved the right to take part in the European Challenge Cup

European Challenge Cup

The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...

.

Cavalieri were drawn in Pool 1 Amlin Challenge Cup 2010-11

2010–11 Amlin Challenge Cup

The 2010–11 Amlin Challenge Cup was the 15th season of the European Challenge Cup, Europe's second tier club rugby union competition, and the second to be sponsored by the British insurance company Amlin. The tournament began on 7 October 2010, with the final played on 20 May 2011 at Cardiff City...

 with Harlequins

Harlequin F.C.

The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...

 (ENG), Connacht

Connacht Rugby

Connacht Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Connacht that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 comprising teams from the Celtic nations plus Italy. Normally, it also competes in the second-tier pan-European club competition, the European Challenge Cup...

 (IRL) and Bayonne

Aviron Bayonnais

Aviron Bayonnais is a French rugby union club from Bayonne in Pyrénées-Atlantiques that currently competes in the top level of the French league system, in the Top 14 competition...

 (FRA). The Cavalieri won their European debut against Connacht on the 9th October 2010 23 - 21. The only Italian side to win on that opening day in the European Cups. The first away game against Harlequins was lost 57 - 17.

In June 2010 Cavalieri Prato merged with other 10 tuscan rugby clubs to form "Cavalieri Toscana Rugby Eccellenza", a new rugby franchise with the aim to represent the professional élite rugby of region Tuscany.

Current squad

2011/2012

Notable Former Players

• Patricio Fuselli
• Kristopher Burton
  Kristopher Burton
  Kristopher Burton is an Italian rugby union player for Benetton Treviso in the RaboDirect Pro12.He plays as a fly-half but can also play as a fullback....
  
  
• Paul Derbyshire
  Paul Derbyshire
  Paul Derbyshire is an Italian rugby union player. Derbyshire, who is a flanker, plays club rugby for Benetton Treviso. He made his debut for Italy against Australia on 13 June 2009....
  
  
• Andrea De Rossi
  Andrea De Rossi
  Andrea De Rossi is an Italian rugby union footballer and coach. He plays as number eight.De Rossi first team was Rugby Livorno, where he played from 1990/91 to 1999/2000. He then went to represent Rugby Calvisano, from 2000/01 to 2003/04, then, as player-coach, Gran Parma Rugby, from 2003/04 to...
  
  
• Edoardo Gori
  Edoardo Gori
  Edoardo Gori is an Italian rugby union player. He was selected to the 25-man Italian squad to face Argentina in November 2010. In the same month he made his Italy debut against Australia. He also played at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.-External links:**...
  
  

Past Years Table Endings

• 2000/2001 2^ serie B
• 2001/2002 1^ serie B (promoted to serie A)
• 2002/2003 3^ serie A
• 2003/2004 3^ serie A
• 2004/2005 5^ serie A
• 2005/2006 2^ serie A (lost to Futura Park Roma at playoff semifinal)
• 2006/2007 2^ serie A (lost to Venezia at playoff final)
• 2007/2008 2^ serie A1 (lost to L'Aquila at playoff semifinal)
• 2008/2009 1^ serie A1 (payoff winner to L'Aquila and serie A Italian Champion, promoted to Super 10)
• 2009/2010 5^ Super 10 (Amlin Challenge Cup qualifier)

See also

• Rugby union in Italy
  Rugby union in Italy
  Rugby union was introduced to Italy in the early 1900s. The Super 10 competition is the main national club competition. The two professional teams in the country are active in Pro12 and also participate in the Heineken Cup. Four italian clubs from the national championship compete in the European...
  
  
• Gli Scudieri - Cavalieri supporters club