It was supposed to be the most uncertain and difficult season for Juventus rugby, struggling with the works at Sabbione and with all the difficulties of the transfer to Colle di Val d’Elsa thanks to the warm welcome of Valdelsa Rugby in the splendid Gracciano facility.
It turned into a year in which, as always when it comes to facing difficulties head-on, the seniors of Banca Centro CUS Siena put on a show, giving the city an exciting season which concluded with full merit in seventh place in the third national championship .
A training made entirely of talents born and raised at home, amateur athletes who pay an annual fee and who train 3 times a week in Gracciano plus sessions in the gym. A character that was seen Sunday after Sunday when facing the first four teams with the same spirit, who separated all the other 8 teams, like the others, always trying to put their opponents on the day in difficulty. In the last match of the season, which ended 52-13 for the hosts of Rugby Colorno, the Cussini who arrived decimated by absences and injuries still scored a try and two free kicks against the red and whites who ended the season with 91 points against 45 of the Banca Centro CUS Siena.
It’s impossible not to get emotional thinking about the feat that Romei’s boys achieved, supported by Carmignani, Barone, Baruffaldi and the athletic trainer Calzeroni; 8 victories and a draw which brought the record of points in Serie B, a championship in which the Sienese have been protagonists since the 2018/2019 season.
In this very important season, Valdelsa Rugby, after a few years of difficulty, has also achieved important results thanks to the collaboration with the Bianconeri, with the boys of the two clubs linked by a common technical project which has increased the numbers and intensity of the two groups of players.
At the end of the season the satisfaction is great as is the pride of having taken an important step, easily confirming itself in a championship in which the Sienese are last in terms of budget. Many of the teams, in fact, have players in their squads who take refunds, which is unfortunately impossible at Juventus where everything is invested in the survival of the city’s oval ball.
The leaders of the Sienese oval ball have expressed throughout the season their gratitude to the players and staff for the undertaking carried out Sunday after Sunday, demonstrating that they can emerge from every match with their heads held high. It would be impossible not to recognize all the members of the team for the commitment made in a year in which the training field was exactly 30 minutes by car from the beloved/hated Sabbione where the works are progressing quickly.
Particular thanks go to the younger players, capable of always living up to what was asked of them by the technical staff, and to Filippo Bartolomucci who returned home after the season in Serie A in Livorno and the experiences in Perugia, putting himself available to his teammates to raise the technical level of the entire group.
The Italian Rugby Federation has launched a particularly late reform of the championships which will replace those created to date; in the 2024/2025 season the formula for the National Serie B will no longer be divided into 4 groups of 12 teams but 5 of 10. Next season the championships will therefore be less burdensome with some fewer away games and with the certainty of a new away game Tuscany given that either the Cavalieri Union Cadetta or the Unione Rugby Firenze will rise from the promotion group of Serie C and that, in the last useful match in the salvation clash, Firenze Rugby 1931 dominated the Formigine Highlanders.
Banca Centro CUS Siena: Rizzi, Gazzaniga, Castagnini (V), Taipi, Gemabl, Bartolomuccci (C), Sampieri, Pignotti, Mauriello, Amarabon, Mencarelli, Parigi, Pacenti, Ancilli, Totti. Entered as replacements: Comandi, Emini, Garuglieri, HaldermanMezzetti.
The results of group 2 of Serie B.
Colorno – Banca Centro Cus Siena =52-13
Bologna RC- Lions Amaranto Li = 66-26
San Benedetto Union – Romagna = 10-69
Modena – Pieve =42-14
Highlanders Formigine – Florence =14-43
Gubbio – Jesi = 29-27
Final standings of group 2 series B. Romagna (105), Colorno (92), Bologna (90), Modena (84), Pieve (59), Unione San Benedetto (50), Cus Siena (45), Jesi (41), Lions Amaranto (39), Gubbio (35), Florence (24), Highlanders Formigine (14).
