He hails from Italy, but Filippo Ferrarini is a huge NBA fan. So when he had the opportunity to take in a playoff game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks two weeks ago, he described it as "one of the best experiences of my life." The spectacle both on and off the court at Quicken Loans Arena proved to him just how passionate Americans are for their favorite sports, which is the reason he'll be calling the East Side of Columbus home this spring and summer.

He hails from Italy, but Filippo Ferrarini is a huge NBA fan.

So when he had the opportunity to take in a playoff game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlanta Hawks two weeks ago, he described it as "one of the best experiences of my life."

The spectacle both on and off the court at Quicken Loans Arena proved to him just how passionate Americans are for their favorite sports, which is the reason he'll be calling the East Side of Columbus home this spring and summer.

As a flanker for PRO Rugby Ohio, a franchise in a new professional rugby league in the United States, he hopes to grow enthusiasm for the sport in this country to be similar to that of basketball.

Or even the Buckeyes.

"You see the stadium," Ferrarini said. "The first couple days my girlfriend and I were here, we see how proud people are of Ohio State. Of five people, three people will have on something about Ohio State.

"We want to do that with rugby."

Based out of Memorial Park in Obetz, central Ohio's newest professional team will host its second home game on Sunday afternoon against Sacramento.

The PRO Rugby league, which is composed of five teams, began its first season in April. Ohio players said the reception has been welcoming, both at home and in the other cities � Denver, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento.

The real-estate agent who showed coach Paul Barford apartments in Gahanna commented on the rugby shirt he was wearing. The veteran rugby expert from England most recently coached at Cornell University in upstate New York, where he calls home.

"She asked me, 'Do you play rugby?' and I told her I used to," Barford said. "Then she asked, 'Did you know we're getting a team?'"Columbus and the Midwest aren't known as hotbeds of rugby talent; only a handful of players on the team are from Ohio, Barford said. Most are from overseas.

One of Ohio's veteran leaders, 31-year-old Jamie Mackintosh, had perhaps the longest and most grueling journeys to join the squad about a month ago, just a few days before the first game.

A former professional player in his homeland of New Zealand and member of the All Blacks, the country's national team, Mackintosh said he welcomed the 26 hours of flight time it took to get to Columbus. Two days later, he hopped a flight with his teammates to Colorado for the first game. He emailed league executives wanting an opportunity to mentor younger players and, like many of his teammates, grow the sport in America.

"It ticked a lot of boxes for me," Mackintosh said. "It's the first professional competition here, and I wanted to be a pioneer of a sport that I think is going to grow massively in the United States."

Besides taking care of business on the field (Ohio is 2-2), the players visit different places around town and introduce themselves to strangers at bars, restaurants and sports venues.

Ferrarini, who is Mackintosh's roommate, already has familiarized himself with the Short North and watched a Columbus Clippers game with teammates.

He's disappointed that he won't get to see a Blue Jackets or Buckeyes football game; the rugby season ends in July.

"The first thing that hit me when I arrived was how nice everyone is," he said, "and how interested they are in what we're doing."

award@dispatch.com

@AllisonAWard