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 ...

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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