Quick Facts
Biography
Gabriele Casalegno (born c. 1923) is an Italian rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1940s and 1950s playing club level rugby union (RU) for R.S. Ginnastica Torino, and playing representative level rugby league (RL) for Italy, and at club level for Torino XIII, as a Prop, or Hooker, i.e. number 8 or 10, or 9, during the era of contested scrums.
Playing career
International honours
Rugby league
Vincenzo Bertolotto co-organised (with Dennis Chappell [1], 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, and Giovanni Vigna.
Club career
Rugby union
Casalegno was a member of the R.S. Ginnastica Torino (RU) team that won the 1947 Campionati italiani. In honour of this, Casalegno's name appears alongside his teammates on a plaque affixed to Motovelodromo Fausto Coppi in Turin, the squad was; eight players that would subsequently accompany Casalegno on the 1950 rugby league tour, and also Ausonio Alacevich, Bianco, Campi, Chiosso, Chiosso, Mario Dotti IV, Pescarmona, Piovano, Rocca, Felice Rama (coach), Siliquini, and Sandro Vigliano.
Rugby league
Following the Italy (RL) tour of 1950 to France, England, and Wales, a Torino XIII featuring Gabriele Casalegno joined the French league.