Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 Serie A Élite | |
Formerly | Divisione Nazionale Serie A Serie A1 Super 10 Eccellenza Top12 Serie A Élite |
---|---|
Sport | Rugby union |
Founded | 1929 |
First season | 1928–29 |
Owner(s) | Federazione Italiana Rugby |
No. of teams | 10 |
Country | Italy |
Most recent champion(s) | Rugby Rovigo Delta |
Most titles | Amatori Milano (18 titles) |
TV partner(s) | Federazione Italiana Rugby (Live Streams on Facebook and Youtube) |
Sponsor(s) | Peroni |
Relegation to | Serie A |
International cup(s) | European Rugby Challenge Cup European Rugby Continental Shield |
Related competitions | Coppa Italia |
The Top10, known as the Peroni Top10 for sponsorship reasons, and formerly Top 12, is Italy's top level professional men's rugby union competition. The Top 10 is run by Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) and is contested by 10 teams as of the 2019–2020 season, following the Italian federation's decision to name Peroni as the official partner of the Top10 competition.
The leading teams qualify to play against teams from the other leading rugby union nations in Europe in the European Challenge Cup. Aironi and Benetton Treviso began competing in the league now known as Pro14 in the 2010–11 season, and took both Italian places in the Heineken Cup. Owing to financial problems, the FIR revoked Aironi's professional licence after the 2011–12 season; that team was replaced in Pro12 by the FIR-operated Zebre. From 2014 to 2015, one of the two Italian Pro12 sides competes in the Heineken Cup's replacement, the European Rugby Champions Cup; the other plays in the European Rugby Challenge Cup. Both Pro12 teams are intended to concentrate the best domestic talent and help develop the quality of Italian players and therefore improve the talent pool for the national team.