Zebre Parma spent 2025-26 proving two seemingly contradictory things. They were bad enough over 18 rounds to deserve 16th place, yet good enough at their best to suggest another bottom finish is not inevitable.
Massimo Brunello's side went 2-16 with 15 points, lost its final 16 URC matches and never won away. It also reached the Challenge Cup quarterfinals and repeatedly pushed opponents into one-score games. Now Tommaso Allan arrives to add experience and control to a talented backline, while significant departures leave questions elsewhere. Zebre should improve in 2026-27.
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The harder question is whether that improvement will be substantial enough to move them beyond the URC's bottom few places.
Why Zebre Parma Should Climb
There is precedent for believing Brunello can produce something better.
His first Zebre season ended with five wins, one draw, 29 table points and 15th place in 2024-25. That followed win totals of zero and one during the previous two campaigns. Zebre's points differential improved from minus-391 in 2022-23 to minus-201 in 2024-25 before deteriorating to minus-275 last season.
The roster also contains more legitimate international talent than a last-place finish suggests.
Alessandro Fusco is an established Italy scrum-half. Lorenzo Pani, Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, David Odiase and Giulio Bertaccini have senior international experience. Alessandro Ortombina made his Italy debut during the summer, while Samuele Locatelli earned a Six Nations call-up.
Then there is Allan.
The former Perpignan fly-half/fullback entered the summer Nations Championship with 89 Italy caps and gives Zebre something they desperately needed: an experienced organizer capable of managing territory, exits and pressure.
Zebre lost four league games by seven points or fewer last season. Turning even some of those situations into victories changes their table significantly.
Why The Bottom Of The Table Remains A Real Threat
The negative evidence remains stronger than one marquee signing can erase.
Zebre conceded 587 points and 85 tries last season. Their 0-9 away record included 338 points conceded, an average of 37.6 per road match. They finished with consecutive 54-19 defeats against the Bulls and Sharks.
Their offseason also was not an unquestioned roster upgrade.
Italy tighthead Ion Neculai moved to Northampton. Argentina scrum-half Gonzalo García joined Pau. Experienced prop Enrique Pieretto departed, emerging Italy wing Malik Faissal joined Northampton, and veteran centers Luca Morisi and Enrico Lucchin retired.
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Beyond Allan, Zebre's incoming class is largely developmental rather than composed of established URC starters.
That matters because depth already was a structural weakness. International recognition can further stretch the squad when Italy players are unavailable, leaving Brunello increasingly dependent on younger professionals and domestic-pathway players.
The relevant comparison is Dragons, not Leinster. Dragons finished immediately above Zebre last season with 28 points, three wins and four draws. Yet their direct meetings were extraordinarily close: Dragons won 19-18 in the URC and 35-32 in the Challenge Cup.
Zebre can catch them. First, they must start winning those games.
The Swing Factor: Can Zebre Win Away?
Allan may attract the attention, but away performance will determine whether Zebre genuinely move upward.
Their home league record was only 2-7 last season, yet their minus-80 differential in Parma was dramatically better than their minus-195 differential away. Zebre also won three Challenge Cup matches at home, including their Round of 16 victory over Pau.
The road was different.
This season gives Zebre opportunities to demonstrate improvement quickly. Their early away schedule includes Cardiff, Connacht and Dragons. The Dragons match on Oct. 31 is especially important because it comes against the opponent Zebre have the clearest evidence they can catch.
Zebre do not need to become an excellent traveling side. One or two road victories combined with stronger defense would materially change the geometry of their season.
If another 0-9 road campaign develops, climbing multiple positions becomes extremely difficult.
Best-Case And Worst-Case Scenarios
Zebre's realistic ceiling is approximately 12th to 14th.
Getting there probably means five or six league victories, at least one away win, a substantial improvement in defensive differential and better conversion of close matches. Six victories would establish Zebre's highest win total of the URC era.
That scenario requires Allan and Fusco to give Zebre reliable halfback control, Luca Rizzoli to return effectively from his Achilles injury and the post-Neculai tighthead group to hold up. The young back row also must translate its athleticism into greater defensive consistency.
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Europe offers another opportunity. Zebre reached the Challenge Cup quarterfinals last season after beating Montauban, Ospreys, Black Lion and Pau. Another knockout appearance is realistic, although their 2026-27 pool presents difficult trips to Perpignan and Bayonne.
The plausible floor is painfully familiar: 16th again.
Injuries at tighthead or scrum-half, significant international disruption and another sequence of targeted road matches ending in defeat could expose the squad's depth. If defensive concessions remain near last season's level, Allan cannot fix enough by himself.
FloRugby's Zebre Parma 2026-27 Prediction
Predicted Finish: 15th
Zebre should be better than the team that collected 15 points last season, but there is not enough evidence to predict a dramatic climb.
The realistic range is 14th through 16th, with 12th or 13th requiring a genuine breakout campaign.
Allan improves the most important decision-making position on the field. Brunello has previously demonstrated he can guide Zebre to five league victories. The Challenge Cup run proves this squad's ceiling extends beyond what its URC record suggests.
But the defense, road performance and depth concerns remain substantial. Zebre also lost established players in several areas while asking developmental additions to assume important responsibilities.
The playoffs are not a realistic baseline, and championship contention is not part of the credible preseason conversation. Another Challenge Cup knockout run is far more achievable.
Finishing 15th would represent modest progress only if the underlying season looks different: more wins, an away breakthrough and a significantly improved differential. If Zebre reach five victories and climb to 14th, this prediction will look too pessimistic. If the defense collapses again and depth problems overwhelm the roster, another wooden spoon is entirely plausible.
Zebre's talent says they should improve. Their structural weaknesses say improvement will remain incremental. Fifteenth is the most defensible call.
Zebre Parma 2026-27 Frequently Asked Questions
How Can Rugby Fans In The United States Watch Zebre Parma On FloRugby?
Rugby fans in the United States can watch Zebre Parma throughout the 2026-27 season on FloRugby, with matches also available to stream through the FloSports app.
Zebre Parma 2026-27 Schedule: Every URC And Challenge Cup Match
Zebre Parma 2026-27 URC Schedule
- Round 1: Zebre Parma vs. Bulls, Sept. 26, 2026
- Round 2: Cardiff Rugby vs. Zebre Parma, Oct. 2, 2026
- Round 3: Zebre Parma vs. Edinburgh Rugby, Oct. 10, 2026
- Round 4: Connacht Rugby vs. Zebre Parma, Oct. 23, 2026
- Round 5: Dragons RFC vs. Zebre Parma, Oct. 31, 2026
- Round 6: Zebre Parma vs. Munster Rugby, Dec. 5, 2026
- Round 7: Zebre Parma vs. Benetton Rugby, Dec. 19, 2026
- Round 8: Benetton Rugby vs. Zebre Parma, Dec. 27, 2026
- Round 9: Zebre Parma vs. Glasgow Warriors, Jan. 2, 2027
- Round 10: 10Bet Lions vs. Zebre Parma, Jan. 23, 2027
- Round 11: Stormers vs. Zebre Parma, Jan. 30, 2027
- Round 12: Zebre Parma vs. Scarlets, Feb. 27, 2027
- Round 13: Ulster Rugby vs. Zebre Parma, March 20, 2027
- Round 14: Glasgow Warriors vs. Zebre Parma, March 26, 2027
- Round 15: Zebre Parma vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, April 17, 2027
- Round 16: Zebre Parma vs. Ospreys, April 23, 2027
- Round 17: Edinburgh Rugby vs. Zebre Parma, May 7, 2027
- Round 18: Zebre Parma vs. Leinster Rugby, May 15, 2027
Zebre Parma 2026-27 Challenge Cup Pool Schedule
- Challenge Cup Round 1: Zebre Parma vs. Ulster Rugby, Oct. 17, 2026
- Challenge Cup Round 2: Perpignan vs. Zebre Parma, Dec. 13, 2026
- Challenge Cup Round 3: Zebre Parma vs. Toyota Cheetahs, Jan. 10, 2027
- Challenge Cup Round 4: Bayonne vs. Zebre Parma, Jan. 16, 2027