Tito Lupini
Tito Lupini (born 12 November 1955, in Johannesburg) is a former South African-born Italian rugby union player who played as a prop.
| Date of birth | 12 October 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Biography
Born and raised in South Africa by Italian parents, Lupini as player represented the provincial team of Transvaal before moving to Italy in the 1980s and playing for Rovigo, in whose first row constituted a key element for the achievement of the two national titles at the end of the decade (the first being his first title for Rovigo). In the 1989-90 season, won by Rovigo, Lupini had the double role of player and coach.
International career
Debuting for the Italian national team in the 1985-87 FIRA Trophy against Romania at Constanţa, Lupini was called up by the then-coach Marco Bollesan in the roster which took part in the first edition of the Rugby World Cup, playing all the three matches where Italy played.
Coaching career
After his retirement from the playing career in 1992,[1] Lupini started his coaching career, coaching Rovigo, leading the team to the final for the national championship (then lost) against Benetton Treviso in 1992. He also coached the forwards for the Namibia national team and, more recently, the same role for Rovigo.