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Lanfranchi Stadium

Zebre Rugby Club is based at the Sergio Lanfranchi Stadium in Parma, located inside the Cittadella del Rugby in Parma, a sports center of excellence in the Italian rugby scene under the management of the Italian Rugby Federation.

Since the 2012/13 season, the Parma facility has hosted Zebre Rugby's home matches in the prestigious competition between the two hemispheres United Rugby Championship and in international tournaments organized by European Professional Club Rugby.

The modern 5,000-seat facility -terminated in 2013 by the City of Parma- is named after Parma rugby symbol Sergio Lanfranchi [Parma, 09/27/1925 - Montchanin (France) 01/21/2001].

Lanfranchi was one of the greatest Italian rugby players of all time; born in Parma in 1925 he played for Rugby Parma from 1946 to 1950, winning the 1950 Scudetto.

With the yellow-blue jersey he played 101 games, scoring 26 tries, 8 conversions and 3 kicks; because of his great athletic and technical skills he played in all the scrum roles and sometimes as a back.

In 1950, the job took him to France where he entered into legend for being credited with getting FC Grenoble the only championship in its history, scoring the only goal in the Toulouse final against US Cognac beaten 5-3 in front of 35,000 people. It was May 23, 1954, and these exploits are still indelibly remembered today by a bust placed in front of the French club's headquarters.

Lanfranchi is for all intents and purposes a true legend of world rugby of all time, also later awarded the title of Knight of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Sergio Lanfranchi -fifth standing from left next to Zebre founder Marco Bollesan- wearing the Italy jersey in Grenoble in the 14-12 defeat against France on 14 April 1963Sergio Lanfranchi -fifth standing from left next to Zebre founder Marco Bollesan- wearing the Italy jersey in Grenoble in the 14-12 defeat against France on 14 April 1963

The second longest-lived Azzurri ever -supassed in 2014 by Mauro Bergamasco- Lanfranchi held the record for the longest Azzurri career for 50 years: exactly 15 years from March 27, 1949 to March 29, 1964. Azzurro number 109 boasts 21 national team appearances including eight as captain with his last cap right in his native Parma.

As a great fighter and leader with massive and powerful physique "Braccio"-this is his nickname- flanked excellent and multifaceted technical skills as a soccer player: his Azzurri career includes 5 tries, one conversion and two penalty kicks.

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