Zebre building towards a bright future

The first professional rugby franchise ever launched by the Italian Rugby Federation has shown signs of significant progress since its launch in 2012.

From that group of players - urgently put together in a few weeks and sent through the arms of Frenchman Christian Gajan - a cohesive squad has finally blossomed.

Now, under Treviso-born head coach Andrea Cavinato, a double Italian champion with Calvisano, Zebre are surprising teams and fans across Europe.

That horrendous first season, ending with 22 losses in 22 games played with a mere ten points from 110 on offer, now seems a long time ago.

Last season was the black-and-whites' second in the PRO12 and saw them finish bottom of the pile with five wins and two draws.

However, it was a year that Zebre accumulated 29 points, almost tripling their first year quota - a level that the Aironi project was unable to achieve in its two-season tenure.

They have hauled themselves off the bottom of the table this term and, in the first nine weeks of the new season, Quintin Geldenhuys and his teammates have already secured two wins - against Ulster and Edinburgh - to leave them third bottom, one point clear of Newport Gwent Dragons and five points above Benetton Treviso.

On Sunday Cavinato's men will take on the Dragons at Rodney Parade and, with their last game of 2014 against Treviso in Parma, there is real opportunity to improve that standing even more.

The fact is that Zebre are now a much more competitive team than they were 12 months ago.

In the summer of last year, general manager Roberto Manghi brought to Parma a number of players that now form the backbone of the squad that, just a couple of months ago in Brive, was able to collect the first-ever European win - with former All Blacks scrum-half Brendon Leonard on top of that list.

And around the man from Waikato, an inspirational figure on and off the pitch, have emerged young Italian talents, such as Leonardo Sarto, Andrea Manici, Gugliemo Palazzani, Giulio Bisegni and Michele Visentin.

That 'incubator' role played by Zebre and Benetton Treviso in the professional setup is key for the Italian Rugby Federation's future plans.

Increasing the international competitiveness of the Italian national team is a target that is simply impossible to achieve without the GUINNESS PRO12.

Young players that are stepping up in the tournament, which will be crucial after next year's World Cup, when the Azzurri will be forced to look to a new generation.

Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12