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Roberto Santamaria (rugby union)

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Roberto Santamaria
Birth nameRoberto Santamaria
Date of birth (1986-09-21) 21 September 1986 (age 38)
Place of birthMessina, Sicily, Italy
Height1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Weight100 kg (220 lb; 16 st)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker
Youth career
CUS Messina
Viadana
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2006–2010 Viadana 34 (10)
2010–2012 Aironi 29 (0)
2012–2013 Viadana 23 (5)
2013–2014 Doncaster Knights ()
2014–2016 Viadana 21 (0)
2014–2015 →Zebre Parma 1 (0)
2015–2017 →Benetton 18 (0)
2017–2019 Petrarca 35 (15)
Coaching career
Years Team
2018–2019 Casale (head coach)
2019–2021 Petrarca (scrum coach)
2021–2024 Italy (head coach Under 18)
2024–2025 Italy (head coach Under 20)
2025- Zebre Parma (scrum coach)

Roberto Santamaria (Messina, 21 settembre 1986) is an Italian coach and former union rugby player, who used to play as a hooker. Since 2021 he is a coach for the Italian Rugby Federation, where he had several positions, including coach of the Italian Under 18 and Under-20 national teams and coach of the Zebre Academy.[1]

Player Career

[edit]

He started to play for CUS Messina and moved to play in the youth club of Viadana at the age of 16. He debuted for Viadana senior team during the Coppa Italia 2005-2006.[2] In the following season he debuted in Super 10, the top tier national league, winning the Coppa Italia[3] and the Supercoppa. In 2007–08, still with Viadana, he debuted in Heineken Cup.[4]

After the establishment of the franchise for the Celtic League Santamaria signed in 2010 with Aironi, of which he was the vice captain behind Marco Bortolami. In the following season he played several times as captain of the team.[5]

Following the franchise was disbanded in 2012 Santamaria came back again to Viadana in Eccellenza, where he served as captain and assistant coach.[6]

At the end of the 2012-13 Eccellenza season he was released from Viadana and was signed by Doncaster Knights, English club playing in National League 1 (third division),[7] with whom he was promoted to the Championship at the end of the 2013-14 season.[8] In July 2014 he came back to Viadana, and played for a season as permit player for Zebre in Pro12.[9] In the 2015-16 season he was signed by Benetton with the same contract,[10] until he became a full-time player for them in the following year.[11]

In 2017 he moved to Petrarca Padova,[12] where he played until his retirement in 2019.[13]

Coach Career

[edit]

After the initial experience as youth coach for Viadana,[14] he coached in England for Yorkshire Carnegie.[2] In 2018 he became head coach of Casale[15] and achieved the promotion in Serie A.[16] At the end of the 2018-19 season he became assistant coach of Andrea Marcato for Petrarca, specialising as scrum coach.[13]

In 2021 he worked for FIR as Under 18 national team coach[1] and was promoted to head coach of the Under 20 national team in 2024.[17] He also worked as coach of the Zebre Academy in Parma.[1]

In June 2025 it was announced that he would become scrum coach of senior Zebre team in URC and leave the Under 20 national team.[18]

Honours

[edit]
  • Coppa Italia: 1
    Viadana: 2006-07
  • Trofeo Eccellenza : 2
    Viadana: 2012-13, 2015-16
  • Italian Supercoppa: 1
    Viadana: 2007

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Cimbrico, Andrea. "CONSIGLIO FEDERALE DI SABATO 10 SETTEMBRE A BIELLA". www.federugby.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Intervista con Roberto Santamaria". Rugbymeet (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  3. ^ "RugbyArchive". www.rugbyarchive.net. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  4. ^ "Roberto SANTAMARIA : Fiche joueur et statistiques - It's rugby". www.itsrugby.fr. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  5. ^ "Aironi, Santamaria: «Vogliamo rifarci»". Gazzetta di Mantova. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  6. ^ Grillotalpa, Il (6 August 2012). "Viadana: Kaine Robertson c'è. E Santamaria sarà il capitano". Il Grillotalpa (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Doncaster Knights snap up kicking king". www.thestar.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  8. ^ "History". Doncaster Knights. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  9. ^ Wilhelm, Paolo (17 November 2014). "Rugby - Guinness Pro12: due permit per le Zebre, sono Santamaria e Steyn". On Rugby (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  10. ^ "Benetton, si aggrega il permit Santamaria". Tribuna di Treviso (in Italian). 5 August 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Colpo Treviso: ecco Roberto Santamaria". rugbymercato.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Petrarca rugby, nuovi rinforzi: dal Viadana arriva il tallonatore Roberto Santamaria". PadovaOggi (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  13. ^ a b "ROBERTO SANTAMARIA SI RITIRA, SARA' L'ALLENATORE DEGLI AVANTI. DA CASALE IL TALLONATORE VITTORIO CARNIO - Argos Petrarca Rugby". Argos Petrarca Rugby (in Italian). 22 June 2019. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Il nuovo assetto del settore giovanile Zanichelli è il dt". Gazzetta di Mantova. 24 July 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  15. ^ Pansardi, Daniele (25 May 2018). "Roberto Santamaria è il nuovo allenatore del Casale". On Rugby (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  16. ^ "RugbyArchive". www.rugbyarchive.net. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  17. ^ undefined, undefined. "BRUNELLO LEAVES ITALY'S FUTURE IN A GOOD PLACE | U20s RUGBY - Unders Six Nations". www.sixnationsrugby.com. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Roberto Santamaria sarà il nuovo tecnico degli avanti delle Zebre dalla stagione 2025/26". www.zebreparma.it (in Italian). Retrieved 16 June 2025.
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