After 119 appearances with Zebre, 51 of which as captain - more than any other player - the sixth Italian to reach 100 appearances in Pro 14-URC, in 2020 the former second row also for Prato, Milano, Aironi and Bristol hung up his boots, embarking on a career as a manager of the ducal franchise, where he now holds the position of Head of Rugby Operations.
"My role has changed a lot over time and there are many facets, from the purely sporting aspects to the commercial and operational ones - comments George Biagi himself -. In practice I touch a bit all the main areas of a company-corporation like Zebre. I don't think the titles are that important, but I try to lend a hand and roll up my sleeves in all respects. For example, I help the commercial part, leading a community where there are currently 155 clubs within the Zebre Family, as well as taking care of the social parts, for example integrated rugby, but also in the daily organization, both of the first team, and of other initiatives, such as the tournament that we will have for the first time in spring which will be dedicated to the memory of Leonardo Mussini".
He began his career in rugby at the age of 13 in Edinburgh, at Fettes College, before a long career that saw him, among other things, wear the legendary black and white shirt of the Barbarians in 2019 against Wales.
"In January it will be five years since I stopped - continues the former player who retired in 2020, the year in which, after Annasole and Martin, his third son Ottavio was born -. I must say that they are different roles. Off the pitch you are less of an actor, but on the pitch you still get the reflection of everything the club does. Just as the satisfactions are different. Seeing guys who start a journey with us, maybe starting from the Academy, and then play well and wear the national team jersey, is beautiful and truly satisfying.
When you play you have a big impact on the moment, while when you are away you build projects. There is a sporting path, but also an educational one, I think of how many kids with us have graduated or started university: for us an important feedback is also that of forming better people. With us, kids have started their own path as coaches, the various Violi, Garcia and others, but also Bortolami himself, today at the helm of Treviso, with whom I played together in the same department and with whom there is a very good relationship".
Off the pitch, a degree in economics from the prestigious Milanese Bocconi University, and on the pitch, many memories and moments to celebrate.
A late arrival in the national team, almost 29 years old in 2014 - debut in Rome against England.
"Mine was an atypical path, but everyone has their own path and there is no recipe that works for everyone. For example, I was not part of the current federal paths, which are varied and work well. But I am also a bit of a demonstration that if I did it, anyone can do it" he jokes.
Most of his international career, made up of 23 caps with Italy, which ended in Marseille against France in 2018, took place in the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the oval ball panorama: the Six Nations.
"It's an incredible competition," says Biagi. "I remember going to the Flaminio stadium to watch Italy-Scotland with my dad and cousin on the day of the victory in the final with Marcato's drop. In February it will be 10 years since the historic victory at Murrayfield. For me, being able to play in the Championship was like a dream come true, as it was for my family and for all those who accompanied me on this journey.
The Six Nations is always extremely competitive, the matches abroad are increasingly challenging and the game continues to evolve, just look at the impacts, the physicality, the speed which are continually increasing".
23 BLUE CAPS
Born in Irvine, Scotland, and raised between the north of Great Britain and Italy, his heart can only be divided between two of the teams that in recent years have perhaps seen the greatest and most evident improvements and that will clash immediately in the first match of the 2025 tournament at Murrayfield.
"Scotland come to the Six Nations with important results obtained in the November tests. They have a notable squad and two franchises that are doing well both in the URC and in the Champions Cup. The Italian boys are also working hard and I am sure they will arrive ready for the appointment".
Italy, also coming off their best tournament ever in 2024, with two wins and a draw.
"I hope we can continue on this path, as well as seeing more and more Zebre boys, given that I have them, so to speak, under my hand every day, they are working hard and are making themselves known. I think, naming a few names, of Giacomo Milano, who is only 19 years old and will be part of the group for the Six Nations under 20 and who I believe can take advantage of the experience he had with us and the hay in the barn that he managed to put away. He is part of a shared path that starts from the Academy, he trains with us, he plays in Noceto, but already from the friendlies, in particular the one against Oyonnax, we saw that he had quality and that he was an interesting and mature boy. And then if he is playing now it is because he deserves it, Massimo (Brunello, coach of Zebre Parma and former technical commissioner of the national under 20 team, ed. ) is someone who doesn't give anything away to anyone and therefore every minute he has had at his disposal, he has earned it".
In the stands against LOU, Lyon Olympique Universitaire, on the second day of the Challenge Cup last weekend, and certainly also in the next two in the double derby of URC with Treviso, there was and will be of course also the technical commissioner Gonzalo Quesada. At the first try scored by Tommaso Di Bartolomeo at the Lanfranchi stadium against the transalpine team, he turned with a nod of understanding towards David Sisi, former national Azzurri now in charge of the Parma lineout.
"Dave's work is fundamental and it was a great team goal, with everyone involved. It's a shame perhaps not to have continued like this for the whole match - he chews bitterly, but in an ironic way -. Among the names, that of Tommaso Di Bartolomeo must certainly be taken into consideration in the role of hooker, because he is having a season with incredible numbers and deserves a chance. Then it's right that Gonzalo makes his choices, as well as that the boys put pressure on him".
Is there a player today that Biagi can relate to?
"Luckily for them, I would say no," jokes the former second row. "There's a lot of competition in the role here too. Zambonin is a leader and we hope his injury against Lyon isn't anything particularly serious. Krumov is the same when it comes to the pitch and the throw-in, just as Canali is continuing to do well. I don't see myself in anyone because everyone has their own physical characteristics."
Dino Lamb, maybe also for a journey between abroad and Italy?
"I would like to be like him, he is very physical, fast and dynamic, but in the end I say that they are all strong and that each one has his own peculiarities".
International rugby will soon be heading into the Six Nations after the Autumn Nations Series. For Italy, a necessary win against Georgia and then defeats against Argentina and New Zealand.
"I saw the Azzurri well. I went to follow the match against the All Blacks in the beautiful setting of the Juventus Stadium, a sign that our rugby is growing and becoming a spectacle both on and off the field and is constantly growing. There are many boys who will knock on Gonzalo's door, who will have some difficult choices, which for many boys will probably also depend on what they will be able to do in the next double match with Treviso".
November also saw the return of the age-old competition between hemispheres, with the Southern Hemisphere appearing to regain leadership and South Africa returning to the top of the world.
Biagi, in Florence in 2016, stole the final touch that gave Italy a historic 20-18 victory over the Springboks, their first ever, and one of the last defeats for the Rainbow Nation.
"When we go to South Africa, in fact, I keep my head very high, remembering that great match, even though, alas, eight years have passed. Teams, in the end, are always made up of cycles. That was an extraordinary performance and many of the players from that South Africa have since become pillars of the current one. They have great depth and rugby culture, with many natural talents and high-level teams, to which are then added the skills of a coach like Erasmus, who has managed to get into the heads and hearts of the boys".
Off the rugby field, despite not being very active on social media, George Biagi has gone "viral" in recent weeks for a post published on a well-known amateur basketball page, another of his great passions, and already in 2018 with Italy he had played on the legendary parquet of the Chicago Bulls.
"In the meantime, I'm keeping a low profile for my personal preference, which is perhaps not the case for everyone today. In Chicago, I'm 100% at the free throw line, with my 1 in 1, while my statistics in Serie B with CSI are clearly inferior. I'm training to keep moving and give a hand to Walnut Noceto (ironically, but not that much we imagine, Walnut is the translation from English of noce, ed. ), when I can between family and work commitments. I follow and like all sports, but basketball in particular. I played when I was little, my wife is also passionate and we especially follow Fortitudo Bologna. Now we're getting back on our feet with the return of Caja, who gave the boys a good dressing down and they're playing hard again".
