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The top man in Italian rugby is calling for his country to have a third team in the Guinness Pro12.

FIR President Alfredo Gavazzi wants to see a Rome-based side competing in the cross-border league, joining Treviso and Zebre.

His plan is for them to play out of the Flaminio Stadium, the former home of the Italian national team, which has been abandoned for a number of years.

Gavazzi feels it would serve as a catalyst to refurbish the Flaminio, which has fallen into a dilapidated state.

“To only have two franchises is definitely something unrewarding and clipping our wings,” he said.

“I hope when we have the opportunity to field three sides in the Celtic League, the Flaminio Stadium is available for rugby because it is the best stadium I know in Italy.

“We need a home in Rome because the development of our business can only go through a home in Rome and then hope that this will become the rugby stadium in the near future.”

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There have been calls in some quarters for the two Italian teams to be ditched from the Pro12 , with Treviso and Zebre habitually occupying the bottom spots in the table.

Now we could have a third Azzurri side on board.