The Italy national rugby union team represents the Italian Rugby Federation in men's international rugby union. The team is known as gli Azzurri. Savoy blue is the common colour of the national teams representing Italy, as it is the traditional colour of the royal House of Savoy which reigned over the Kingdom of Italy from 1860 to 1946.
Lineup of the Italy national rugby union team vs France, 1975
The current badge on the Italy jersey
Italy vs the New Zealand All Blacks at the San Siro with a record 80,000 sellout crowd, November 2009
Italy contesting a lineout with Scotland during the 2012 Six Nations
The Ireland national rugby union team is the men's representative national team for the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland competes in the annual Six Nations Championship and in the Rugby World Cup. Ireland is one of the four unions that make up the British & Irish Lions – players eligible to play for Ireland are also eligible for the Lions.
First Ireland rugby team: defeated by England on 15 February 1875 at The Oval, by two goals and a try to nil
South Africa and Ireland teams posing together at their 1912 test at Lansdowne Road.
1920 illustration of the Ireland versus Wales match
The Ireland team that played Argentina at Ferro Carril Oeste in 1970