FIRL has announced that ‘Florence Rugby 1931’ will take part in the 2013 Serie ‘A’ Rugby League championship. They will be led by former Azzurri international, Argentinean Marcelo Segundo, who played in Italy's memorable win over Wales in 2010.

Rosario-born and Director of Youth Rugby at Florence 1931, Segundo said, “As soon as I played a few games I was in love with rugby league. I played against Germany and Lebanon in the European Shield and then we travelled to North Wales on a memorable night.”

Italy have qualified for their first World Cup this autumn and that has added to his desire to set up a rugby league section at Florence 1931.

“Here you can breathe rugby 12 months a year, we have a large player base, two teams at U16 and two in the U20s, they are the future of the club and we do not want to abandon our activity when union ends,” Segundo added. “We think that rugby league is an excellent option. We will start with a team in the coming season and we are already planning to increase our commitment in the future with the addition of a youth sector.”