Massimo Brunello

ROLE Head Coach

TEAM Zebre Rugby

IN CHARGE SINCE Jul 2024

AGE 59

NATIONALITY Italian

MATCHES 24

Massimo Brunello is the head coach of Zebre Parma, the URC Coach of the Season for 2024–25 who has made an under-resourced club genuinely competitive.

AS A PLAYER Utility back. His entire senior career was at Rovigo, where he made 257 Serie A appearances, scored 101 tries and totalled 541 points. Eight caps for Italy, debuting against Ireland in 1988.

Tenure record

as of 16 May 2026

24PLAYED

6WON

0DRAWN

18LOST

25.0%WIN RATE

474 points scored · 718 conceded · -244 difference

RECENT LSharks19–54 LVodacom Bulls XV19–54 LDragons18–19 LEdinburgh Rugby30–31 LDragons32–35 WSection Paloise31–15

By competition

United Rugby Championship 18P · 2W · 0D · 16L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Sharks 16 May 2026 A 19–54 L Vodacom Bulls XV 9 May 2026 A 19–54 L Dragons 24 Apr 2026 H 18–19 L Edinburgh Rugby 17 Apr 2026 A 30–31 L Ulster Rugby 28 Mar 2026 H 12–28 L Scarlets 20 Mar 2026 A 17–36 L Munster 28 Feb 2026 A 7–21 L Connacht Rugby 31 Jan 2026 H 15–31 L Glasgow Warriors 24 Jan 2026 H 21–26 L Glasgow Warriors 3 Jan 2026 A 10–47 L Benetton Treviso 27 Dec 2025 H 23–37 L Benetton Treviso 20 Dec 2025 A 15–21 L Cardiff Rugby 29 Nov 2025 H 14–29 L Leinster Rugby 25 Oct 2025 A 26–50 L Stormers 18 Oct 2025 H 13–31 L Ospreys 11 Oct 2025 A 0–24 L Fidelity ADT Lions 5 Oct 2025 H 22–20 W Edinburgh Rugby 27 Sep 2025 H 31–28 W

Challenge Cup 6P · 4W · 0D · 2L

OPPONENT H/A SCORE RESULT

Dragons 11 Apr 2026 H 32–35 L Section Paloise 5 Apr 2026 H 31–15 W Black Lion 17 Jan 2026 A 28–14 W Ospreys 11 Jan 2026 H 23–19 W Montpellier Hérault Rugby 12 Dec 2025 A 7–31 L US Montauban 6 Dec 2025 H 41–17 W

DATA NOTES

Massimo Brunello has overseen 24 completed Zebre Rugby matches in our database since September 2025 — 6 won, 0 drawn, 18 lost. That is a 25.0% win rate, with 474 points scored and 718 conceded.

Records are computed from the WeTalkRugby match database and cover matches we hold data for within this tenure. They are not an official all-time record.

Coaching career

2024- Zebre Parma Head Coach

Honours

2019 Italian Top12 (Calvisano)
2017 Italian Top12 (Calvisano)

Players under Massimo Brunello

Full squad →

Bautista Stavile Bravin Forward Albert Batista Back Davide Ruggeri Forward Damiano Mazza Back Enrique Pieretto Heiland Forward Enrico Lucchin Back Francesco Ruffolo Forward Giovanni Montemauri Back Franco Carrera Forward

Gonzalo Garcia Back Giacomo Ferrari Forward Jacopo Trulla Back

About Massimo Brunello

Massimo Brunello is the head coach of Zebre Parma, appointed in May 2024 for the 2024–25 season and named URC Coach of the Season at the end of it.

Born in Arquà Polesine in June 1967, he spent his entire senior career at Rovigo, making 257 Serie A appearances, scoring 101 tries and totalling 541 points. He won eight caps for Italy, debuting against Ireland on the last day of 1988.

A career inside Italian rugby

He started in Rovigo’s youth system, became senior assistant and then head coach at Rugby Badia and Rovigo. He ran Italian federation youth teams and the Mogliano academy from 2009 to 2015, then coached Calvisano from 2015 to 2020, winning two Italian championships. He was Italy Under-20 head coach from 2020 to 2024, developing a large share of the current professional playing pool.

Zebre

Zebre have historically been the least resourced side in the league and the most heavily beaten. Brunello’s achievement has been to make them awkward to play — a functioning set piece, better discipline and a squad that keeps producing Italian internationals rather than simply absorbing defeats.