With the Azzurri set to lock horns with Joe Schmidt's Ireland on Sunday evening in a crucial Pool D encounter at London's Olympic stadium, we take a look at some of Italy's greatest sporting names. And no, Mario Balotelli is not one of them...

1. Valentino Rossi The 36-year-old multiple MotoGP World Champion is responsible for a marked surge in interest in motor racing in his home country, and he is still going today. He is second in the overall wins standings with 112, and legendary rivalries with Max Biaggi, Sete Gibernau, Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo have only served to establish him as the greatest name in the sport.

Read more

Source: http://www.the42.ie/