Marzio Innocenti
Date of birth (1958-09-04) 4 September 1958
Place of birthLivorno, Italy
Occupation(s)Rugby coach
Otorhinolaryngologist
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker, number 8
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1977-1982
1982-1988		 Livorno
Petrarca Padova		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1981-1988 Italy 42 (8)
Coaching career
Years Team
1991-1997
2005-2008
2008-2009
2009
2009-		 CUS Padova Rugby
Valsugana Rugby
Rugby Riviera
Casino di Venezia
Rugby Riviera

Marzio Innocenti (born 4 September 1958, in Livorno) is a former Italian rugby union player and coach and current sports director. He played as a flanker and a number 8. Since 21 March 2021 he's the president of the Italian rugby federation. He works as physician.

Playing career

He grew up playing for Livorno but spent most of his career in Padua playing for Petrarca, team with which he won four league titles (the last one as the captain of the side).[1]

He made his international debut for Italy in 1981 in the FIRA Trophy (a predecessor of the present-day European Nations Cup) in a 23-0 win against Western Germany[2] proceeding to win a total of 42 caps (20 as a captain) until his international retirement in 1988.[3] He was the captain of Italy in the 1987 World Cup in which he played all the three games and scored one of his two international tries.[4]

Coaching career

After his retirement and after having obtained a degree in medicine at the Padua University and started a practice as an otorhinolaryngologist,[5] Innocenti started his coaching career by being part of Bertrand Fourcade's staff at the 1991 Rugby World Cup and at the same time being in charge of the Italian "A" team alongside Massimo Mascioletti and Stefano Romagnoli.[6] In 1991, after the World Cup, he took charge of CUS Padova, that he led until 1996 when the club, after having won its third promotion under Innocenti's guide, was admitted for the first and only time in its history to Serie A1 (now Top12), the highest tier of Italian rugby.

During his tenure, Innocenti unearthed such talents as internationals Nicola Mazzucato and Gianluca Faliva.

In 1996 he left the coaching role to become the club's Director of Rugby.

In 2000 he was elected to the board of the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), role in which he was confirmed in 2004 after having been defeated by Giancarlo Dondi in his bid for presidency of the same organization.[7]

In 2005 Innocenti accepted to return to coaching for Valsugana Rugby, in Padua, leading the club to an immediate promotion. In 2008 he took charge of Rugby Riviera, in Mira, also being promoted at the first attempt[8] to Serie A, the national second tier league.

In 2009 Marzio Innocenti made his debut as a first division coach with Casino di Venezia.[9][10] The team, though, didn't perform as expected, and Innocenti was sacked at the end of October.[11] In November he was re-hired by Rugby Riviera.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Corrado Sanucci (26 April 1986). "Petrarca's championship win (in Italian)". La Repubblica. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  2. ↑ "Italy v West Germany 29/11/1981". ESPN Scrum.com. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  3. ↑ "Innocenti's international profile". ESPN scrum.com. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  4. ↑ "The opening game of the Rugby World Cup". Fox Sport News. 19 December 2003. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  5. ↑ "Gruppo Data Medica list of doctors". Gruppo Data Medica. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  6. ↑ "Marzio Innocenti's bio (in Italian)". Venezia Mestre Rugby. 21 June 2009. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  7. ↑ "2000 FIR elections (in Italian)". FIR Federazione Italiana Rugby. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  8. ↑ "Rugby Riviera - Serie A". Rugby Riviera. 24 May 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  9. ↑ "Super 10 2009 roster changes". SoloRugby.org. 23 June 2009. Archived from - Casino di Venezia the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2009. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  10. ↑ "Innocenti new Casino di Venezia coach (in Italian)". AIR Associazione Italiana Rugbysti. 24 June 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  11. ↑ "Innocenti fired (in Italian)". Venezia Mestre Rugby. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  12. ↑ Giacomo Piran (12 November 2009). "Innocenti back for Riviera (in Italian)". La Nuova Venezia. Retrieved 15 December 2009.


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