Zebre appoint Roselli & Moretti as assistant coaches
Zebre Rugby Club today announce the appointment of Fabio Roselli and Andrea Moretti to the coaching staff of Zebre. The two coaches will take the places respectively of Alessandro Troncon and Carlo Orlandi as coaches of the backs and the forwards.
Roselli and Moretti join Zebre following a successful coaching period with the Italian U20 team, crowned by several important victories.
The former winger and hooker led the young Internationals in three Six Nations Under 20s Championships (finishing in 2018 in 4th place and in 2019 in 5th place) and in two World Rugby Under 20 Championships, finishing in 2018 in a historic 8th place thanks to two wins against Scotland and Argentina.
The appointment of two experienced coaches alongside head coach Michael Bradley will ensure continuity to the development project at the club: the growth of the best young talents in Italian rugby and, at the same time, their debuts with the national team.
Zebre Rugby Club team manager Andrea De Rossi: "After thanking and greeting Orlandi and Troncon, it was right to welcome two coaches who have done very well with the National Academy "Ivan Francescato" and the U20 National Team. Both have been protagonists of a path of progression and growth towards the highest level so I think it is natural to give them this chance. They arrived here in May and immediately made themselves available to Michael and all the coaching staff for the first meetings. I'm sure they'll do well and above all they won't have any problem in fitting in as they know most of the players, many of whom have come from the Academy and the U20 national team."
For Roselli and Moretti, it won’t be a debut for them in the GUINNESS PRO14. Fabio Roselli has already been assistant coach of Zebre in 2015/16 and 2016/17, while Andrea Moretti was Forwards coach at Aironi in 2010/11.
The two coaches are already at work in Parma where, thanks to their many years’ experience in the coaching management of the National Academy "Ivan Francescato" and later of the U20 National Team, they have found many Zebre players who grew up in the junior leagues under their guidance.
Fabio Roselli consistently played as winger for Rugby Roma - his hometown club - winning an Italian championship (1999/2000) and an Italian Cup (1997/1998) and scoring 550 points in 220 appearances with the club. Between 1995 and 1999 he also wore the national team jersey, scoring 17 caps and 5 tries with the Azzurri. He also won the Fira Cup 1995-1997 and joined the Rugby World Cup 1999, staged in France, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
He retired from a playing career in 2003 and then he began his new adventure as a coach. After first experiences in the youth sector of Rugby Roma, in 2007 he became assistant coach of the Sevens National team and then of the U17 national team. After being named head coach of the U17 and U18 national teams, Roselli has led the backs of the Italian U20 team from 2013 to 2015 and from 2017 for the whole team. He also held the role of assistant coach of Zebre in 2015/16 and 2016/17 and the position of head coach of the National Accademy “Ivan Francescato”.
Born in Mantova and raised in the local club of his hometown, Andrea Moretti made his debut in the top Italian championship in 1996 with Petrarca Rugby following a stint as a youth player in New Zealand with North Shore. After a season with Worcester in 2000/01 in the English second division, the former No. 2 returned to Italy and joined Rugby Calvisano, winning the Italian National Cup in 2003 and the top championship in 2004. In 2006 he moved to Rugby Viadana, winning again the Italian National Cup in 2007 and the Italian Super Cup in the same year. He made his debut with the national team on 26 October 1997 in the Latin Cup match won against Romania. The former hooker took part in the Rugby World Cup 1999 and the Six Nations 2002, collecting 13 caps until his farewell to the Italian team in 2005. After his retirement from rugby at the end of the 2007/08 season, Moretti played his last official match with the prestigious international selection for the Barbarians, against Scotland in April 2008.
Moretti has been assistant coach of Rugby Viadana (2008-2010) and Aironi (2010/11) before leading Petrarca Rugby from 2012 to 2015. After the experience with the club of Padova, Moretti began to work alongside Roselli in the coaching staff of the National Academy "Ivan Francescato" and from 2017 to 2020 also of the U20 National team.