Date of birth | 1992 (age 30–31) | ||||||||||
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Place of birth | Brescia, Italy | ||||||||||
Height | 187 | ||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||
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Gianluca Gnecchi (born 1992 in Brescia) is an Italian rugby referee. [1]
Gnecchi was born in Brescia Italy, and refereed in Italy and in the Six Nations Under 20s Championship before making his Pro14 refereeing debut in the match between Zebre and Benetton on 30 August 2020, where he was assisted by fellow Brescian referee Andrea Piardi. [2] Gnecchi refereed the 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifiers in South America, refereeing the match between Brazil and Chile on 11 July 2021. [3] Gnecchi drew criticism for a refereeing decision in a match between Glasgow Warriors and the Lions on 9 October 2021, where he awarded a try, despite the ball being grounded short of the line. [4]
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in South Africa, and the BKT United Rugby Championship in the competition's other territories, the split branding mirroring the format previously adopted in Super Rugby. The Championship represents the highest level of domestic club or franchise rugby in each of its constituent countries. The Championship is one of the three major professional leagues in Europe, the most successful teams from which go forward to compete in the highest-level continental club competitions, the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup. Since 2022–23, despite the name, South African teams have been eligible to qualify for European competitions, and one South African place in the Champions Cup from the Championship is guaranteed.
Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became the first Scottish team to win a major trophy in rugby union's professional era. The side is known for its fast, dynamic and attacking style of play, using offloads and quick rucks. Defensively the club prides itself on its 'Fortress Scotstoun' where the club play at home.
Munster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU's Munster Branch, which is responsible for rugby union throughout the Irish province of Munster. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible." This is derived from the motto of the MacCarthy clan – "Forti et Fideli nihil difficile". Their main home ground is Thomond Park, Limerick, though some games are played at Musgrave Park, Cork.
Marius Jonker is a South African rugby union Television Match Official and former referee. He refereed at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, and regularly took charge of Super Rugby and Currie Cup matches. He also acted as a TMO at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, and will reprise this role at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
Kenneth James Owens is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a hooker for the Scarlets and Wales. He made his debut for the Scarlets in 2006, taking over from Matthew Rees as their first-choice hooker upon Rees' departure for the Cardiff Blues in 2013. He also served as backup to Rees, among others, for Wales following his debut against Namibia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In 2016, he took over as Wales' first-choice hooker, and in January 2023, following almost a year out with a back injury, he was named as captain for the 2023 Six Nations Championship.
The Southern Kings were a South African professional rugby union team that competed in Super Rugby and Pro14. They were based in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province and played their home matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. They were created in 2009, and had their first match against the British & Irish Lions during their 2009 tour. After competing in Super Rugby in 2013, 2016 and 2017, they joined Pro14 prior to the 2017–18 season, along with the Cheetahs.
George Clancy is an Irish rugby union referee. Clancy refereed at the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups. He has also refereed in the Pro14, the European Rugby Champions Cup, the Six Nations Championship and the Rugby Championship. Clancy refereed the 2007 Churchill Cup final and the 2009 and 2011 European Challenge Cup finals. Between 2013 and 2017 Clancy also served as a touch judge/assistant referee at five consecutive European Rugby Champions Cup finals.
Stuart William Hogg is a Scottish former professional rugby union player. He has represented Scotland at international level, having made his test debut against Wales during the 2012 Six Nations Championship. He is Scotland's all time leading try-scorer.
Jacob Johannes Taute is a South African retired rugby union player. He played as a fullback or centre, he won three caps for South Africa. Taute played for the Stormers and the Lions in Super Rugby, the Golden Lions and Western Province in the Currie Cup, Munster in the Pro14 and Leicester Tigers in Premiership Rugby.
Dave Rennie is a New Zealand and Cook Islands professional rugby union coach and former player. He will take over the Kobe Steelers as head coach for the 2023-24 season. He previously was the head coach of the Australia national rugby union team from 2020 to 2023, having previously coached New Zealand sides the Chiefs, Manawatu, Wellington, the New Zealand U20, as well as in Scotland, with Glasgow Warriors from 2017 to 2020. Rennie's playing position was Centre. In November 2019 he was named the head coach of the Australian national team until being sacked in January 2023.
The 1872 Cup – also known as the 1872 Challenge Cup – is a men's rugby union tournament contested every year between the two Scottish professional clubs, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby.
Tadhg Gerard Beirne is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a lock for United Rugby Championship club Munster and the Ireland national team.
The 2017–18 PRO14 was the seventeenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It is the first season to be referred to as the Guinness PRO14 Championship, with the addition of two South African teams.
Hollie Davidson is a professional rugby union referee who is contracted with the Scottish Rugby Union.
The 2020–21 European Rugby Champions Cup was the seventh season of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the annual club rugby union competition run by European Professional Club Rugby (ECPR) for teams from the top six nations in European rugby. It was the 26th season of pan-European professional club rugby competition.
The 2020–21 PRO14 was the twentieth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the fourth season to be referred to as the PRO14.
The Pro14 Rainbow Cup was a professional rugby union end-of-season cup competition played in 2021 that consisted of two separate tournaments: the Rainbow Cup for twelve European clubs and the Rainbow Cup SA for four South African clubs. The winners of each competition then played a final match to determine the overall winner. The tournament operated as a shortened 'Spring season' to allow for the integration of the four new South African teams into the United Rugby Championship ahead of the 2021–22 season.
The 2021–22 United Rugby Championship was the twenty-first season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the first season that the competition is referred to as the United Rugby Championship, having previously been known as the Pro14.
Andrea Piardi is an Italian rugby referee.