The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy (; ) is a
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
trophy awarded to the winner of the annual
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament conte ...
match between
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
The trophy, designed by French former international and professional sculptor
Jean-Pierre Rives, was awarded for the first time on 3 February 2007 to
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
as part of the celebrations of the bicentenary of
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...
's birth. As of
2025
So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
, the trophy has been contested nineteen times, with France winning sixteen and Italy two.
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...
was an Italian revolutionary born in 1807 in
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million[Kingdom of Sardinia
The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...]
). One of the fathers of unified Italy, he was also a general in the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
during the
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
in 1870.
As part of the celebrations of the bicentenary of Garibaldi's birth it was decided by the
Fédération Française de Rugby and the
Federazione Italiana Rugby to create a trophy in his honour and have it awarded to the winner of the annual
6 Nations Championship's game between
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
Trophy
Idea
The original idea of a trophy to be awarded to the winner of annual game between France and Italy, was first mooted in
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million[unification of Italy
The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...]
and during the
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Janua ...
for France. Also from a rugby union point of view historically the sport in Italy has been in the past heavily influenced by the French.
The idea was brought to the attention of both the French and Italian rugby federations, quickly gathered momentum and was approved on 6 December 2006 by the
International Rugby Board
World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competit ...
.
Design
Designed by former international and full-time sculptor
Jean-Pierre Rives, the trophy was unveiled on 2 February 2007, during a ceremony at the French embassy in Rome. The trophy's godfathers were former international players
Diego Dominguez for Italy and
Jean-François Tordo (who was born in Nice) for France.
Matches
Updated as of 23 February 2025.
Results
See also
*
History of rugby union matches between France and Italy
*
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team (, ) represents the French Rugby Federation (FFR; ) in men's international rugby union matches. Colloquially known as ''Le XV de France'' (French for "The XV of France"), the team traditionally wears blue ...
*
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represents the Italian Rugby Federation in men's international rugby union. The team is known as ''gli Azzurri'' (the light-blues). Savoy blue is the common colour of the national teams representing Italy, as ...
*
Millennium Trophy
*
Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the rugby match between teams of England and Scotland played annually in the Six Nations Championship. Like the match itself (England–Scotland), the Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy con ...
*
France-Italy relations
*
Auld Alliance Trophy
*
Centenary Quaich
References
External links
www.ffr.fr– Fédération Française de Rugby
www.federugby.it– Federazione Italiana Rugby
www.6nations.net– 6 Nations official website
{{Rugby union in Italy
Six Nations Championship trophies
2007 establishments in France
2007 establishments in Italy
International rugby union competitions hosted by France
International rugby union competitions hosted by Italy
History of rugby union matches between France and Italy
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Recurring sporting events established in 2007