Celtic League Participation
Despite rising playing standards and more media attention on rugby union, Italian teams competing in the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup, have generally struggled to compete against the more established club teams of the other Six Nations countries. In response to this both John Kirwan, the former Italian coach, and David Pickering, the Welsh Rugby Union chairman, suggested that merged Italian teams should enter the Magners League, and in March 2009 the Celtic Rugby Board (Magners League) and FIR announced an agreement in principle to add two Italian teams to the Magners League for 2010–11. These 2 teams are intended to offer Italian qualified players a higher standard of rugby to hone their skills. It will remove the best Italian players from the Super 10. It is envisaged after the change that the Super 10 will be a semi-professional league only.
The two new Magners League teams were announced on 18 July 2009 as Aironi, based in Viadana, and Praetorians Roma, from the capital. As of October 2009 it was announced the 2 teams to join the Magners League will be Benetton Treviso and the newly formed club Aironi. Praetorians Roma were nominated in the first round but failed to meet the criteria set down by the evaluators and Benetton Treviso were nominated instead. These new sides would also take the Italian qualification spots in the Heineken Cup, and in future Super 10 champions would not likely play in Europe. However, these plans will not change before the 2010–11 season; while the new Magners League sides will take up Italy's Heineken Cup places, Italy will retain its previous four places in the Challenge Cup, which will be taken by top Super 10 teams.
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—Anonymous 9th century, Irish. “Epigram,” no. 121, A Celtic Miscellany (1951, revised 1971)
“He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no harm shall touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes. At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the wild animals of the earth. For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the wild animals shall be at peace with you.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Job 5:19-23.