Lodi and Marcato are united by a common professional future, they have in fact been chosen by the Italian Rugby Federation to lead the U23 Academies of Parma and Treviso respectively, and will together be assistant coaches of the U20 national team leaving for the World Rugby U20 Championship. An opportunity for growth towards a high level, triggered by the domino effect of the transition of Brunello and Dolcetto from the U20 national team to the Zebre franchise in Urc. On Tuesday 11 June at the Cristallo hotel there was also an illustrious presence of the presidents of the two clubs, Francesco Zambelli (FemiCz Rovigo) and Alessandro Banzato (Petrarca), at the same table the former rossoblù president Renzo Bullo, the former Bersagliere and vice president of the Cariparo Foundation Giuseppe Toffoli, the Olympian Laura Foralosso, the lawyer Vittorio Cogo (former vice president of Fir), with the past president and vice president of Rugby Rovigo, Federico Cogo.
An evening enriched by the presence of Pasquale Presutti, former coach of Petrarca and Fiamme Oro, the only coach to win two finals in Rovigo, beating the rossoblù (scudetto in 2011 and Coppa Italia in 2014), at his side Mattia Dolcetto, as player one Scudetto with goal with the Viadana shirt in the 2001 Battaglini final (against Amatori & Calvisano).
But the theme was the derby. During the convival, the highlights of the matches that have recently marked the history of Rugby Rovigo and Petrarca Rugby were projected on a loop. The 2023 scudetto final, which projected Lodi into the rossoblù Olympus, given that as coach he had also won the scudetto with the U18s in 2016, and the semi-final of 12 May, which saw Andrea Marcato’s Petrarca triumph. Almost 5 minutes of interminable action, 40 phases, an infinite series of pick and gos, and an unattempted drop, which could have allowed Rovigo to win.
Andrea Marcato, who as a player won 5 championships (4 with Treviso and 1 with Calvsiano), 1 Italian Cup, 1 Excellence Trophy and two Italian Super Cups, without forgetting the numerous appearances for the Azzurri (he scored the winning drop at the Flaminio against Scotland in the 2008 Six Nations), is the most successful coach in recent oval history.
With Petrarca he won three championships (2018, 2022 and 2024) and an Italian Cup “I was privileged – Marcato began – I’m from Padua, after Selvazzano I grew up in Petrarca, returning as a player for me was the closing of a circle , then I was lucky enough at 34 to be able to be the coach for 7 wonderful years. I immediately understood that I was part of a big thing, a super solid company. With Rovigo in the last 5 years it has been the match of matches, from there I started to understand what the derby is, especially for Padova, it is the only match that absolutely must be won. Whether it’s a pre-season friendly or a regular season, the whole club and management come alive on the eve of the match. That’s the beauty of this challenge.”
“Coaching your hometown club is unique and indescribable – underlined Alessandro Lodi – I lived near Battaglini, I grew up seeing the championships of Rome (1988) and Brescia (1990), those players motivated me. Being on the public side, and then on the bench, knowing what the city experiences, was something truly special. A privilege, but also a duty towards the city and the club, in carrying forward those values that the rossoblù shirt requires. An unforgettable experience, I thank President Zambelli for the opportunity. If in Padua the whole Petrarca club comes alive, when there is a derby here the whole city comes alive. Everyone wants to beat Petrarca.” He made his debut as a player first, and then as a coach, right at the Plebiscite against the tuttineri, a sign of destiny for Lodi.
In the 2023 final, Petrarca were favourites, but Rovigo prevailed 16-9 with a rock-solid defense “It’s a match I still dream about – said Marcato with a hint of emotion – I think this year’s scudetto has sorted out the sensations of the final one. A game with enormous pressure, maybe I wasn’t able to manage it well with the boys. I thought about the match many times, maybe we could have done with a few places, I was criticized, but I was consistent with what we did during the season, Rovigo played an incredible defense. Going back I would have called some kicks, even if it is the team, and the captain, who ultimately decided on the pitch, but I take responsibility, it’s right like this.”
“My first thought after the victory in Parma went to my son” underlined Ale Lodi, who also explained, to a specific question from Lello Salvan, the staff’s communication strategy, leaving the space to Davide Giazzon (his deputy) in the pre-race declarations. “Usually you only look at the head coach, but there is a team of technicians working behind it.”
On the semi-final on May 12th against Petrarca, and on the possible victory drop not attempted by Dogliani, Ale Lodi was clear “however many situations you can train during the week, there are moments in which the players on the pitch must take the responsibility of understanding when the time comes, I personally don’t feel like saying why they didn’t do it, I absolutely didn’t ask. If there had been a game still to be played, but when a season like this ends, blaming a single player is not what I like to do. We lost as a group, we had almost five minutes of possession, in a game that had 44 minutes of ball in play. Petrarca did well not to take a penalty, but we gave away 14 points too easily, and that’s where the match became complicated.” 22-24 the final, Petrarca went to the final, and three weeks later they also won it with merit.
“If you ask me whether it is better to win the semi-final in Rovigo or the scudetto, I’ll tell you straight away the tricolor – said Marcato – certainly that match (referring to 12 May) was important for me from a personal point of view, after the lost final I last year we had to win that match, the club cared so much about it. If we had lost I knew I would have finished my work in Padua, and I had asked the boys to give me another three weeks to spend together. I tell you the truth, the last 5 minutes of the Battaglini I kept seeing the action of Greeff’s goal at the Plebiscito (final of 2 June 2022 won by Rovigo at the end), I told myself that it couldn’t happen a second time, in the end it went well”.
The concept of the Polesine supply chain was expertly expressed by Matteo Maran. A Scudetto winner with Rovigo in 2016, a thoroughbred rossoblù, he was promoted to head coach of Borsari Badia in Serie A. “We are still building the squad for next season, but we have confirmed last year’s group. They are an added value. They are boys – explained Maran – who come from the Rovigo Under 18 youth team of two years ago, and coached by Alessandro Lodi, a group that needs an outlet in a first team, and the Serie A stage means a lot. With the current system risks losing players, managing to bring them to Badia means following a fundamental growth path. This is our goal.”
Solid prop as a player, very solid personality as a coach. He has experience to spare, in Rovigo he managed to win as an opponent and entered the hearts of the fans, a privilege for few. He is Pasquale Presutti, he managed to win the scudetto with Petrarca against an overwhelmingly favored Rovigo in 2011, and an Italian Cup leading the Fiamme Oro to a resounding success (2014).
“I was convinced that I had a great group – underlined Presutti referring to Petrarca who won the 2011 scudetto – in the championship we had lost twice to Rovigo, gaining 35 points in the first leg and in the second leg, I told the boys that despite everything we were not inferior” .
Between the first and second half, with Rovigo in clear advantage, the match changes. If the Battaglini changing rooms could talk they would tell of a peremptory Presutti, precise orders given to Mercier, if the player had not respected the game plan he would have gone to the shower after a minute. Few words and well placed, Presutti, in addition to being a master of ancient but effective rugby, is also a great psychologist. “I have a particular bond with Rovigo and its fans, I have a particular liking for president Zambelli, coaching the Bersaglieri would have been wonderful, unfortunately it didn’t happen”.
Mattia Dolcetto, former rossoblù, and next assistant coach of Massimo Brunello at Zebre, spoke about his emotions of his very personal derby, that is, the championship final in Rovigo, but with the Viadana shirt (2001).
“I had family in the stands, friends and former teammates, when I heard that the final was in Rovigo I didn’t sleep for a week, I remember little or nothing of the first half match, I was excited, a magical moment. Then the goal was the icing on the cake.”
On the new adventure in Parma in Urc “It’s what we wanted, after 4 wonderful years with the Under 20s, we wanted a different challenge in the senior field, we know it’s a demanding championship, we’re not the favourites, but we know the boys and the working group, we are counting the days to start. I wish Ale and Andrea good luck, I’m sure that things will go well.”
The evening then continued with numerous questions from the members of Panathlon Rovigo, and the speeches of the presidents Zambelli and Banzato, in conclusion a souvenir plaque for the Lodi, Marcato and Maran, and a deck of Rovigo and Paduan cards by Alberto Cristini, because the derby continues.
