Roberto Andrew "Rob" Sidoli (born 21 June 1979), also known as Robert Sidoli, is a former Welsh international
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
player. He has won 42 caps for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
as a lock forward.
Born in
Merthyr Tydfil, he played for his school,
Bishop Hedley High School
Bishop Hedley High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school, established in 1967, and located in Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The vast majority of the pupils of the school stem from the Heads of the Valleys, serving parishes from ...
, and then club rugby for
Merthyr
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
and
Pontypridd
() ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Geography
comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...
, being voted Pontypridd's Player of the Year in 2001–02. During his time at Merthyr, Sidoli studied for a
BSc
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
in
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...
at
Cardiff University. At the introduction of regional rugby in Wales in 2003, Sidoli joined the
Celtic Warriors, but the team only lasted a year before being wound up in 2004, when Sidoli joined the
Cardiff Blues.
Sidoli joined
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
at the start of the 2008–09 season, but was unable to prevent them from being relegated, and returned to Wales in 2009, joining the
Newport Gwent Dragons. He retired from playing at the end of the 2013–14 season.
International
Sidoli won his first cap for Wales as a replacement against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
in 2002. After good performances in the
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...
, he missed most of the 2004
Six Nations Championship with a groin injury. He was in the starting line-up for all Wales matches in the Grand Slam-winning team of
2005, and scored his first international try against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
during that tournament.
Personal
His brother, Wales under-21 international
Peter Sidoli,
nationalised to play for their father's native Italy, but was never selected.
Sidoli is related to the
Sidoli's Ice Cream family business, well known in South Wales.
References
External links
Newport Gwent Dragons profilePontypridd profileWales profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sidoli, Robert
1979 births
Living people
Bristol Bears players
Cardiff Rugby players
Dragons RFC players
Italian British rugby union players
Merthyr RFC players
People educated at Bishop Hedley High School
Pontypridd RFC players
Rugby union locks
Rugby union players from Merthyr Tydfil
Wales international rugby union players
Welsh people of Italian descent
Welsh rugby union players