A few weeks to celebrate, enjoy the well-deserved rest after the victory of the scudetto, the 15th in its history, and the Petrarca Rugby is already at work preparing for the next 2024/25 sports season, with a championship back to 10 teams and with a formula Playoffs which should return to involve the top 4 of the regular season. I also take a step back regarding the Italian Cup but this time with the involvement of the top two Serie A teams for a Barrage phase at the beginning of the season (Cus Torino and Cavalieri Prato ed.).
The Petrarca Rugby will begin training sessions to prepare for the season from 24 July, the coach of the three Scudetti Andrea Marcato will not be there, having joined the FIR, the role of Head Coach has passed to the Argentinian former hooker Victor Jimenezformer assistant scrum coach, confirmed with him Paul GriffenNew Zealander, former scrum-half for the attacking midfield.
Victor Jimenez interviewed on the pages of Il Mattino di Padova by Simone Varroto
Victor Jimenez, 53 years old, is the coach that Petrarca has chosen to lead the first team in the next Serie A Elite championship, together with Paul Griffen, with whom in this last season he shared the role of assistant coach to Andrea Marcato. A recognition of the work carried out in the last 4 years with the all-black forwards, which also emerged in the championship final won over Viadana – his former club – in which the solidity of the Paduan scrum played a decisive role.
“…Despite the difficult year. We were never able to get into the rhythm, which is our strength, and we were affected by Scott Lyle’s injury. If I think back to the period between December and January, in which we didn’t win for almost two months between defeats and breaks, it was deadly. The boys were great at always following us, putting up with us despite the frustration, always trying to improve.”
New position as technical manager for Victor Jimenez
“Andrea Marcato has given me a lot of space in recent years, I thank him very much for this journey together. And obviously I thank the company for their trust. Paul is a great guy and a trained technician, who does a large volume of work: I think the understanding will be excellent. The level of responsibility increases but I am extremely happy with the assignment, which makes me proud and determined to give my best. It will be my fifth season in Padua, where I feel great. The relationship with the management is solid, also because they are all passionate people about rugby, who do things with incredible dedication.”
Rugby Petrarca Market
“We won’t change much. We’ll crack down on some situations that didn’t go so well. And we’ll see how the new rules affect the game. The group will remain more or less the same, with some adjustments.”
Balance in pink
“We couldn’t cover Lyle’s absence with the quality we needed. Sports director Corrado Covi is working to have more balance in the roles and a squad ready to compete in two tournaments.”
The return of the Italian Cup
“The season thus becomes stimulating again for everyone. Without the Cup, many players did not have the space they deserved. We weren’t forced to rotate, given the many breaks, and it was difficult to manage those who did well in training.”
