Rugby player
Gustavo Milano, (born 11 February 1961 in Rosario) is a former Argentine rugby union footballer, coach and sports agent and dairy products businessman. He played as lock[1] and was an international for Argentina and for Italy. He is nicknamed Tati.[2]
Career
Hailing from Jockey Club Rosario, he played in the club and in the Argentina as lock: he debuted for the Pumas coached by Rodolfo O'Reilly in 1982, during the end of the year test against France, at Toulouse. He was quickly made an induscussed starting player, alongside Eliseo Branca. Milano played 30 matches, being a substitute in only one and scored 6 tries.[3]
He played and won the South America Rugby Championship in 1985 and 1987, as well, he took part at the 1987 Rugby World Cup, playing only the match against Fiji, as he was injured during the second half, being substituted by Alejandro Schiavio and later in the tournament, Alejandro Schiavio was made a starting player.
In 1989, Milano moved to Italy, playing for San Donà and the UAR excluded him from the national team, as usual with the players who moved abroad at the time.
Moving to Milan, he won three scudetti and -as coach- he qualified to the 1994 final lost against L'Aquila: unusually, the following season he returned in the field as player-coach.[4] In 1990, Milano played for Italy, with his only cap for the country being the 1990–92 FIRA Trophy First Division match against Soviet Union in Rovigo on 24 November 1990, where he replaced the number 8 Massimo Giovanelli at the 69' minute.[5]
After retirement
Retiring definitively in 1996, he remained in rugby as coach, then as agent for Argentinian rugby players in the European market; since 2002 he is the director in charge of the training skills for the UAR, a post he held until 2019. He is one of the main promoters of women's rugby in Argentina and is respected as a leader of the "heartland" due to his dedicated work in locations all over the country. He resides in Santa Fe.[6]
