Andrea Lo Cicero
Encyclopedia
Andrea Lo Cicero is an Italian
rugby union
footballer.
Born in Catania
, Sicily
, Lo Cicero began his professional career in the town of his birth with Amatori Catania
. Later he moved to Bologna and then to Rugby Rovigo
, winning his first Italian Championship in 2000 with Rugby Roma. Subsequently he played for a season in the French team Stade Toulousain
. He then played for L'Aquila
and he currently plays for Racing Métro, now in France's Top 14.
Lo Cicero was included in Italy's squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
but did not see any action and had to wait until the following year to make his international debut. It came against England
in 2000 when he had the difficult task of filling the gap left by the Azzurri prop and captain Massimo Cuttitta
.
He was named in the BBC
's dream XV at the 2004 Six Nations Championship
and was part of the Barbarians
squad to take on New Zealand later that year. Lo Cicero was the only European player to receive a call, and he capped the feat by scoring a try. In 2005 he again represented the Barbarians for their matches against Scotland
and England.
In the 2007 Six Nations Championship
, he celebrated his 50th appearance in the Six Nations
with a thumping 37–17 victory over Scotland
at Murrayfield
, Italy's first away victory in the tournament.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer.
Born in Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Lo Cicero began his professional career in the town of his birth with Amatori Catania
Amatori Catania
Amatori Catania is an Italian rugby union club who got relegated from the Super 10. They are based in Catania, they are the only professional rugby union team in Sicily. The club was founded in 1963, and play at the Stadio Santa Maria Goretti....
. Later he moved to Bologna and then to Rugby Rovigo
Rugby Rovigo
Rugby Rovigo Delta are an Italian rugby union club currently competing in Super 10.They are based in Rovigo in Veneto....
, winning his first Italian Championship in 2000 with Rugby Roma. Subsequently he played for a season in the French team Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
. He then played for L'Aquila
L'Aquila Rugby
L'Aquila Rugby 1936 are an Italian rugby union club currently competing in Super 10.The club is based in L'Aquila which is the capital of Abruzzo.The official colours of the club are black and green, the colours of the city of L'Aquila.-History:...
and he currently plays for Racing Métro, now in France's Top 14.
Lo Cicero was included in Italy's squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
but did not see any action and had to wait until the following year to make his international debut. It came against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in 2000 when he had the difficult task of filling the gap left by the Azzurri prop and captain Massimo Cuttitta
Massimo Cuttitta
Massimo Cuttitta is a former Italian rugby union footballer and a current coach. He used to play as a prop. He's also the twin brother of Marcello Cuttitta....
.
He was named in the BBC
BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. It incorporates programmes such as Match of the Day, Grandstand , Test Match Special, Ski Sunday, Rugby Special and coverage of Formula One motor racing, MotoGP and the Wimbledon Tennis...
's dream XV at the 2004 Six Nations Championship
2004 Six Nations Championship
The 2004 Six Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-tenth series of the northern...
and was part of the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
squad to take on New Zealand later that year. Lo Cicero was the only European player to receive a call, and he capped the feat by scoring a try. In 2005 he again represented the Barbarians for their matches against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and England.
In the 2007 Six Nations Championship
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
, he celebrated his 50th appearance in the Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
with a thumping 37–17 victory over Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
at Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
, Italy's first away victory in the tournament.