Gaia Maris

Last updated

Gaia Maris
Gaia Maris Parma 2021.jpg
Maris in 2021.
Date of birth (2001-12-05) 5 December 2001 (age 23)
Height159 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Weight83 kg (183 lb; 13 st 1 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2019–2022 Valsugana Rugby Padova  [ it ] ()
2022–2023 Wasps ()
2023–2025 ASM Romagnat  [ fr ] ()
2025– Valsugana Rugby Padova  [ it ] ()
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2021– Italy 39

Gaia Maris (born 5 December 2001) is an Italian rugby union player. She plays Prop for Valsugana Rugby Padova  [ it ] at club level and for Italy internationally.

Rugby career

Maris started playing club rugby for Rugby Trento at the age of 9, she also played for Verona and Villorba  [ it ] before she debuted for Valsugana Rugby Padova  [ it ] in the Serie A competition in 2019.

In 2021, she was called up to the Italian national team for the Six Nations Championship and made her debut in Parma against England, she became the first player from her region to represent Italy in women's rugby.

In 2022, she won the Serie A championship with Valsugana and was called up to the 2021 World Cup squad. She joined English club, Wasps, for the 2022–23 Premier 15s season, but the liquidation of the club and the closure of its professional sector left the players without a team. In 2023, she moved to France to play for ASM Romagnat  [ fr ] in the Élite 1 competition. She helped the side reach the championship final where they lost to Stade Bordelais. She returned to Italy to play for Valsugana in 2025.

Maris was selected in Italy's squad for the Women's Six Nations tournament in March 2025. [1] On 11 August, she was named in the Italian side for the Women's Rugby World Cup in England. [2] [3]

References

  1. "Italia femminile: un bel mix di esperienza e giovani talenti. L'analisi delle convocate per il Sei Nazioni 2025". Federazione Italiana Rugby (in Italian). 19 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  2. "Nazionale Femminile, le 32 convocate per la Rugby World Cup 2025" [Women's National Team, the 32 called up for the 2025 Rugby World Cup]. Italian Rugby Federation (in Italian). 11 August 2025. Archived from the original on 11 August 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  3. "Italy name experienced squad for Women's RWC 2025". Rugby World Cup 2025 England. 8 November 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.