Serie A Elite: the preview of the championship final between Viadana and Petrarca

On the one hand, an experienced team, used to playing in finals as confirmed by the 14 championships on their list; on the other, a team that has only won one championship but has played a truly brilliant season this year and wants to prove it to the fullest. We are talking about Petrarca and Viadana, the two clubs that will compete today, June 2, for the Serie A Elite championship final.

The decisive match of the season, after several controversies in recent weeks regarding the date chosen by the Federation, will be staged at the Sergio Lanfranchi Stadium in Parma. Referee Federico Vedovelli will blow the whistle at 5.30 pm for the kick-off of the decisive match, visible live on TV on Rai2 and in live streaming on RaiPlay and DAZN.

Viadana-Petrarca: the numbers, the choices and the precedents in Serie A Elite

According to the precedents during the Serie A Elite regular season, the championship final between Viadana and Petrarca promises to be decidedly close. In the first match in Padua, played on the first day of the season, the two teams drew 27-27; on the return to Mantua the yellow and blacks prevailed but by a very narrow margin, 19 to 18.

Speaking of the regular season, Rugby Viadana in 16 matches totaled 13 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats with 61 final points which earned them first place. Petrarca, on the other hand, finished in third place in the ranking with 54 points, the result of 9 wins, 3 draws and 4 defeats.

Between matches played at home and away, the Mantuans have made the “Zaffanella” an almost impregnable fortress: 7 victories and only 1 defeat. The yellow and blacks have been consistent throughout the season as even away from home they have achieved important results: 6 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. For Padova the numbers are slightly different: within friendly walls the Tuttineri have collected 5 victories, 2 draws and 1 defeat. Away from Padua, Andrea Marcato’s team closed the regular season with 4 wins, 1 draw and 3 defeats.

It is also an unusual final compared to what we have seen in recent years. Unlike usual, for example as it has been in the last three years, the scudetto of the top Italian championship will not be a matter between Rovigo and Petrarca. Viadana’s exploits this season broke the mold and prevented the Italian derby from being played again in the last match. This was played in the semi-final, and saw the Paduans advance to the next round.

Precisely with respect to this last match, coach Andrea Marcato finds the experience of Angelo Esposito in the back line. The 21-time Azzurro player takes the number 11 shirt while Giovanni Scagnolari, who had worn it in the previous round, slides to the bench. The other change for Petrarca is on the front line, where Tommaso Cugini will play in place of Luhandre Luus.

Read also: Serie A Elite, the statements of Viadana and Petrarca’s coaches before the final

For Viadana, Gilberto Pavan opts for the maxim “you don’t change a team that wins”. So no changes in the XV and the bench who achieved success in the home match against Valorugby, gaining qualification for the final.

In a dry match like the one that will be played in Parma, however, not only these factors will count. On the one hand, experience will be fundamental, and in this sense Petrarca has more to spare than Viadana: with 14 championships under his belt, with the latest coming in the 2021/22 season, the Tuttineri are used to playing in finals.

Opposite situation for Viadana. As mentioned, the Lombards have only won one Italian championship in their history and that was more than 20 years ago, in 2002. In the three finals played after the Gialloneri they no longer managed the feat of bringing the tricolor to the Mantua area. This time, however, they arrive in Parma with the awareness acquired from an excellent Serie A Elite season, in which they demonstrated that they know how to play excellent rugby. Furthermore, they will have an audience on their side that will make itself heard, also thanks to the proximity of Viadana to the venue of the final.

Matteo Salmoiraghi

Serie A Elite: the teams of Viadana and Petrarca for the championship final

Rugby Viadana 1970: 15 Matias Sauze; 14 Andrea Bronzini, 13 Juan Franco Morosini, 12 Tommaso Jannelli (C), 11 Alessandro Ciofani; 10 Martin Roger Farias, 9 Patricio Baronio; 8 Federico Ruiz, 7 Juan Wagenpfeil, 6 Samuele Locatelli; 5 Filippo Lavorenti, 4 Riccardo Schinchirimini; 3 Marlon Mignucci, 2 Matteo Luccardi, 1 Michelangelo Mistretta.
Available: 16 Antonio Denti, 17 Fabrizio Fiorentini, 18 Rodrigo Oubiña, 19 Fabrizio Boschetti, 20 Marcello Catalano, 21 Pietro Gregorio, 22 Benjamin Madero, 23 Fabrizio Ciardullo.

Petrarca Rugby: 15 Scott Lyle; 14 Pama Fou, 13 Andrea De Masi, 12 Marco Broggin, 11 Angelo Esposito; 10 Rodrigo Fernandez, 9 Tito Tebaldi; 8 Andrea Trotta (c), 7 Luca Nostran, 6 Nardo Casolari; 5 Enrico Ghigo, 4 Diego Galetto; 3 Gonzalo Hughes, 2 Tommaso Cugini, 1 Damiano Borean.
Available: 16 Riccardo Brugnara, 17 Tomas Montilla, 18 Valerio Bizzotto, 19 Riccardo Michieletto, 20 Mariano Romanini, 21 Samuela Vunisa, 22 Lorenzo Citton, 23 Giovanni Scagnolari.

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