Andrea Masi signs for Aironi

[psychic duck]

Andrea Masi, the 2011 Six Nations Player of the Tournament, will join Aironi for the 2011-12 season.

Masi reportedly turned down Top 14 Orange newcomers Lyon's advances to stay at Racing Metro, but the French club announced he would be leaving earlier this week.

Masi will return to the Zaffanella Stadium, where he played between 2003 and 2006 before moving to the Top 14 with Biarritz and then Racing Metro.

"I had the opportunity to stay in France with a new Top 14 club, but I decide to return to Viadana because I have a deep connection with the city and because I want to join a serious and structured club that looks to improve and to grow up with a long term plan in which I want to be a main character," Masi said.

Aironi were one of the two Italian sides, along with Treviso, who joined the Magners League for the 2010-11 season. However, they experienced a baptism of fire finishing the season at the foot of the league.

Masi, however, hopes their second spell in the now renamed RaboDirect Pro 12, will be more of a success.

"I will bring together all my experience to help Aironi reach this target. In the end, I arrive from a similar situation because when I joined Racing-Metro it was a ProD2 team with a long road to go," Masi said.

"Aironi have great room for improvement and I will give my all in order to realise it. The club has great ideas and projects for the future and I am really happy with my choice."

from scrum.com

Aironi next season

15. Andrea Masi
14. Kaine Robertson
13. Roberto Quartaroli
12. Matteo Pratichetti
11. Giulio Toniolatti
10. Luciano Orquera
9. ***o Tebaldi
1. Salvatore Perugini
2. Fabio Ongaro
3. Fabio Staibano
4. Marco Bortolami
5. Quintin Geldenhuys
6. Josh Sole
7. Frans Viljoen (South Africa)
8. Nick Williams (New Zealand)

16. Tommaso d'Apice
17. Matías Agüero
18. Alberto de Marchi
19. Carlo Antonio del Fava
20. Simone Favaro
21. Tyson Keats (New Zealand)
22. Naas Olivier (South Africa)
23. Gilberto Pavan

NOTE: The Italian teams are under strict foreign player laws next season, there is only allowed to be 1 front row, 1 second row, 1 back row, 1 half back and 1 back maximum in a match day squad

thus new signings Tyson Keats and Naas Olivier who are both half backs cannot both be in the matchday 23 together, only 1 of them can play at a time

also Aironi are searching one more signing, a tighthead prop from South Africa who has the possibility of qualifiying for Italy.

 

[staph.glorious]

Any guesses as to who that tighthead may be?

 

[Jockstap]

Excellent news and massive step in the right direction for Aironi and Italian rugby if they can bring more of their stars home. Looking forward to seeing him play in the P12 next season.

 

[profitius]

NOTE: The Italian teams are under strict foreign player laws next season, there is only allowed to be 1 front row, 1 second row, 1 back row, 1 half back and 1 back maximum in a match day squad

thus new signings Tyson Keats and Naas Olivier who are both half backs cannot both be in the matchday 23 together, only 1 of them can play at a time

They're good rules but I think they should have applied those rules after 3 or 4 years so Aironi could have signed some more quality and get better results. It'll take time before the Italian internationals like Parisse comes come.

 

[psychic duck]

They're good rules but I think they should have applied those rules after 3 or 4 years so Aironi could have signed some more quality and get better results. It'll take time before the Italian internationals like Parisse comes come.

The Italian teams really hate these rules, Aironi say that they need more strength in the back row and want to be able to play 2 foreign back rowers in the same team, meanwhile they don't need a second row because they already have Italians in the locks, so they lose out on an overseas player

I don't have an idea of who the tighthead could be, probably a cheap Currie Cup one

 

[lynam1104]

They should just say 5 NIQ in the 23, I believe this is how the IRFU dose it but i think it's 3 not 5, but not sure.

 

[staph.glorious]

They should just say 5 NIQ in the 23, I believe this is how the IRFU dose it but i think it's 3 not 5, but not sure.

The IRFU has a max of five NIQ (plus one 'project') per squad (not simply the 23), with a mind to reducing to four in 2012. They can prohibit a province from signing in a position which is deemed to have a lack of depth, or where an IQ player is preferred to be developed. In other words, the IRFU must authorise a NIQ signing.

 

[Twitter.com/ChloePlasse]

i think there are problems with controls on foreign players. for example, you may have 4 teams and they may have only 1 foreign player, but if the foreign player in each team plays the same position (eg 4 tight head props), you're kind of screwed lol.

so, between the 2 italian teams i think they need to ensure that not only do they have a limit on foreigners but they also aren't clustered in one position.

 

[Ozzay]

Great news for Italian rugby, will improve the celtic league too.

 

[coonor]

Great news for Italian rugby, will improve the celtic league too.

???????????

 

[Amobokoboko]

Great for the Italian domestic competition as well for the European league. Good to see that Salvatore Perugini is adding another season to his resume

 

[zeno]

Great signing for Aironi, should really help them make a greater impact next season.