Who is Matt Gallagher, new fullback for Italy and Benetton Rugby

Benetton Rugby fans, and more generally Italian fans, have already started to memorize this name: Matt Gallagher. Born in 1996, he comes from Bath, a club in the English Premiership, and last February he signed an agreement with the Venetian club to wear the green and white jersey for the next three seasons.

Not only that: in recent weeks the player was called up by Gonzalo Quesada to the meetings with Italy and was then officially called up for the 2024 Summer Nations Series, which will see the Azzurri engaged in a tour in the Pacific against Samoa, Tonga and Japan, in wing/extreme department. But who is Matt Gallagher and why was it possible to call him up for Italy?

Read also: Italy’s squad for the summer tour against Samoa, Tonga and Japan

Who is Matt Gallagher, new fullback for Italy and Benetton Rugby

Matt Gallagher was born in Sidcup, England, where he also trained as a rugby player, growing up in the Saracens Academy and with whom he then won a championship in 2019. Gallagher also boasts experience in Ireland, with Munster, and then again in his CV. in the Premiership, precisely with Bath.

The attacking midfielder, with strong running skills and game vision, had youth experiences with the English U20 team, with whom he also won the category World Cup in 2016. At senior level he is however classified as uncappedthat is, without having made any appearances for any senior national team. So why was it possible to call up Matt Gallagher for Italy?

His eligibility for the Italian national team was confirmed by the player himself and by Antonio Pavanello, general director of Benetton Rugby, at the time of signing the contract between Gallagher and the green and white club. “Just as happened with Louis Lynagh, we are pleased to have included another eligible profile for our Italian national team in the squad,” the manager said.

If Matt Gallagher is also eligible for Italy it is thanks to the maternal branch of his family. An important family unit, because he too, like Lynagh, is a son of art, given that his father John Gallagher, in 1987, was part of the All Blacks who won the first Rugby World Cup in the history of the game.

The player himself, after making the move to Benetton official, underlined the attention towards Italian rugby and the family aspect: “Benetton Rugby has done very well in recent seasons and Italian rugby is growing very well. Benetton has a great rugby history and is building something big in Treviso. Furthermore, my grandparents live in Trentino and this means that I will be able to see them more, which I expect my family will appreciate very much.”

Finally, in addition to the family aspect and the possibility of bringing a new player to the national team, there is another reason why Gonzalo Quesada decided to call up Gallagher already for this summer tour. With Lorenzo Pani’s injury, the absence of Tommaso Allan and Ange Capuozzo (the latter at least for the first test match with Samoa), the coach is lacking players in the extended triangle: for this reason, in addition to Monty Ioane and Louis Lynagh seen at the Six Nations, decided to recall Jacopo Trulla and bring a profile like that of Matt Gallagher to Italy.

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