Birth name | Sergio Francesco Parisse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 12 September 1983 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | La Plata, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 113 kg (17 st 11 lb; 249 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sergio Francesco Parisse[2] (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsɛrdʒo paˈrisse]; born 12 September 1983) is an Italian former rugby union player. He is currently the lineout coach for French club Toulon. He played for the Italy national team from 2002 until the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Parisse is Italy's most-capped player, and currently the fourth most-capped player of all time. He was the first Italian rugby union player to be nominated for the IRB International Player of the Year, in 2008 and again in 2013. Parisse is widely considered one of the greatest number eights of the modern era,[3][4][5][6] and the greatest Italian rugby player of all time. He also holds the joint record of playing in five Rugby World Cups.