Italy Vincenzo Bertolotto co-organised (with Dennis Chappell , from
Wakefield, and a
Turin resident), and
captained the
Italy (RL) tour of 1950 to France (3 matches), England (including; 28-49 defeat by
Wigan at
Central Park,
Wigan on Saturday 26 August 1950,
Huddersfield at
Fartown Ground,
Huddersfield on Wednesday 6 September 1950,
St. Helens at
Knowsley Road on Thursday 16 November 1950), and Wales (including; 11-29 defeat by South Wales XIII at
Brewery Field,
Bridgend on Saturday 2 September 1950). The
Italy (RL) squad was; •
Guido Aleati (previously of
R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Sergio Aleati (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Roberto Antonioli (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Angelo Arrigoni (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Vincenzo Bertolotto (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Michele Bietto, •
Giovanni Bonino (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Luigi Bosia, •
Giuseppe Cannone, •
Pasquale Cannone, •
Delio Caron, •
Gabriele Casalegno (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Amerio Chiara, •
Giorgio Cornacchia, •
Guido Cornarino (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Fabrizio Faglioli, •
Enzo Francesconi, •
Giuseppe Franco, •
Aldo Guglielminotti (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Giovanni Orecchia, •
Luigi Pignattaro, •
Franco Pipino, •
Giorgio Rassaval, •
Giorgio Rubino, •
Giovanni Tamagno (previously of R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU)), •
Oreste Tescari, • Giovanni Vigna.
Italy (RL) toured again in 1954, they were known as Federazione Amatori Italiani – Gioco di XIII (Federation of Italian Amateurs - Game of thirteen) because they were prevented from using the term "
rugby" by the
Federazione Italiana Rugby (Italian
Rugby (Union) Federation), the squad included; Baldassin ( for
Carpentras XIII who attempted
goals without a run up),
Vincenzo Bertolotto, Giovanni Vigna, the squad arrived in
Leeds on Tuesday 6 April 1954, to play six games in fifteen days, Giovanni Vigna scored three
tries, and Baldassin scored three
goals from eleven attempts in the initial 18-67 defeat by
Bradford Northern at
Odsal Stadium,
Bradford in front of a crowd of 7,000 under
Floodlights in the evening on Wednesday 7 April 1954, the Bradford Northern team was;
Joe Phillips,
D Knorpf,
Joseph Mageen,
E. Jenkins,
W. Seddon,
Jack McLean,
Leonard Haley,
P. Goddard,
G. Jones,
N. Carter,
N. Haley,
W. Jones,
Trevor Foster,
A. Story,
Brian Radford,
Ken Traill, the initial match was originally scheduled to be an amateur international at
Odsal Stadium,
Bradford, this was rescheduled to later in the tour at
Central Park,
Wigan, and Bradford Northern agreed to play despite only having played
Halifax on Monday 5 April 1954. Giovanni Vigna played at in
Italy's 15-37 defeat by
Australia in the
1959–60 Kangaroo tour match at
Stadio Euganeo,
Padua on Saturday 23 January 1960.
Combined Nationalities Giovanni Vigna played at and scored a
try in
Combined Nationalities' 15-19 defeat by
France at
Stade de Gerland,
Lyon on Sunday 3 January 1954.
Club career Following the
Italy (RL) tour of 1950 to France, England, and Wales, a
Torino XIII featuring Giovanni Vigna joined the French league. ==References==