Ivan Francescato
Encyclopedia
Ivan Francescato was an Italian
rugby union
player.
Francescato began his career in his native city, Treviso
, like his five elder siblings before him, all of whom played the game at high levels; three (besides him) made the Italian National team, Bruno, Nello and Rino. He got his technical and athletic training in the youth development teams at A.S. Ruggers Tarvisium 69.
He made his debut in the Italian Championship on 14 September 1986, as a centre, against A.S.R. Milano in Milan
. He remained faithful to Benetton Treviso
throughout his life. Francescato also played as a scrum half.
Francescato made his International debut on 7 October 1990 against Romania
. His last appearance for the Azzurri was on 8 November 1997 against South Africa
. Perhaps his most famous moment in an Italian shirt was scoring one of the tries of the tournament in the 1991 World Cup
in the game against the USA
. In a superb display of individual skill, Francescato stepped and feinted past several American defenders before touching down between the posts.
Ivan Francescato died suddenly of a heart attack at 3 a.m. at his home in Treviso. The Benetton Treviso rugby board decided to retire the number 13 shirt for the season.
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...
player.
Francescato began his career in his native city, Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
, like his five elder siblings before him, all of whom played the game at high levels; three (besides him) made the Italian National team, Bruno, Nello and Rino. He got his technical and athletic training in the youth development teams at A.S. Ruggers Tarvisium 69.
He made his debut in the Italian Championship on 14 September 1986, as a centre, against A.S.R. Milano in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
. He remained faithful to Benetton Treviso
Benetton Rugby Treviso
Benetton Rugby Treviso are an Italian professional rugby union club currently competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup.They are based in Treviso in Veneto, and owned by the Benetton clothing company....
throughout his life. Francescato also played as a scrum half.
Francescato made his International debut on 7 October 1990 against Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
. His last appearance for the Azzurri was on 8 November 1997 against South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. Perhaps his most famous moment in an Italian shirt was scoring one of the tries of the tournament in the 1991 World Cup
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
in the game against the USA
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
. In a superb display of individual skill, Francescato stepped and feinted past several American defenders before touching down between the posts.
Ivan Francescato died suddenly of a heart attack at 3 a.m. at his home in Treviso. The Benetton Treviso rugby board decided to retire the number 13 shirt for the season.
Italian team statistics
- 38 appearances
- 77 points scored
- 16 tries
- 2 Rugby World Cups Contested: 1991, 1995.
- Italian National Championships: 4 (1989, 1992, 1997, 1998 with Benetton Treviso)