Giovanni Vigna


Giovanni Vigna is an Italian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He played at representative level for Italy and Combined Nationalities, and at club level for Torino XIII, as a, i.e. number 11 or 12, during the era of contested scrums.

Playing career

International honours

co-organised, and captained the Italy tour of 1950 to France, England, and Wales.
The Italy squad was; Guido Aleati, Sergio Aleati, Roberto Antonioli, Angelo Arrigoni, Vincenzo Bertolotto, Michele Bietto, Giovanni Bonino, Luigi Bosia, Giuseppe Cannone, Pasquale Cannone, Delio Caron, Gabriele Casalegno, Amerio Chiara, Giorgio Cornacchia, Guido Cornarino, Fabrizio Faglioli, Enzo Francesconi, Giuseppe Franco, Aldo Guglielminotti, Giovanni Orecchia, Luigi Pignattaro, Franco Pipino, Giorgio Rassaval, Giorgio Rubino, Giovanni Tamagno, Oreste Tescari, and Giovanni Vigna.
Italy toured again in 1954, they were known as Federazione Amatori Italiani – Gioco di XIII because they were prevented from using the term "rugby" by the Federazione Italiana Rugby, the squad included; Baldassin, Vincenzo Bertolotto, Giovanni Vigna, the squad arrived in Leeds on Tuesday 6 April 1954, to play six games in fifteen days, Giovanni Vigna scored 3-tries, and Baldassin scored 3-goals from eleven attempts in the initial 18-67 defeat by Bradford Northern at Odsal Stadium, Bradford in front of a crowd of 7,000 under Floodlights in the evening on Wednesday 7 April 1954, the Bradford Northern team was; Joe Phillips, D Knorpf, Joseph Mageen, E. Jenkins, W. Seddon, Jack McLean, Leonard Haley, P. Goddard, G. Jones, N. Carter, N. Haley, W. Jones, Trevor Foster, A. Story, Brian Radford, Ken Traill, the initial match was originally scheduled to be an amateur international at Odsal Stadium, Bradford, this was rescheduled to later in the tour at Central Park, Wigan, and Bradford Northern agreed to play despite only having played Halifax on Monday 5 April 1954.
Giovanni Vigna played right-, i.e. number 12, and scored a try in Combined Nationalities' 15-19 defeat by France at Stade de Gerland, Lyon on Sunday 3 January 1954.
Giovanni Vigna played right-, i.e. number 12, in Italy's 15-37 defeat by Australia in the 1959–60 Kangaroo tour match at Stadio Euganeo, Padua on Saturday 23 January 1960.

Club career

Following the Italy tour of 1950 to France, England, and Wales, a Torino XIII featuring Giovanni Vigna joined the French league.