Home » Coppa, the surgeon with a love for rugby. “I like this challenge in the Covid period”

Coppa, the surgeon with a love for rugby. “I like this challenge in the Covid period”

by admin

From a scrum to the scalpel, in the space of a few moments.

It is not uncommon to see Federico Coppa directing a training session and, in a few minutes, go to Santa Maria del Prato, where he works as a surgeon. The former scrum-half of Feltre and Ruggers Tarvisium has always been able to balance work commitment with the passion for the oval ball and it is perhaps this enviable balance, between duty and pleasure, that has allowed him to respond to the call. of Rugby Feltre, when it came to identifying the replacement for Andrea Barp, at the head of the seniores team, in the midst of the emergency linked to covid-19.

A love for rugby born not very early.

«I started playing with Feltre in the under 13s and I immediately found myself in a close-knit and strong group, with Aspodello, Dal Sasso, Paulin and Piolo, among others. At 17 I made my debut in the first team, celebrating the promotion from C to B, in the year in which Iain Frew had come to play in the grenade shirt. I traveled all the way in the youth teams of the national team, from under 15 to under 19, so much so that when I went to Padua to university, I had the opportunity to stop there to play rugby, but in Feltre we had a team of quality, my friends were in Feltre and so I decided to stay here, where we came close to being promoted to Serie A ».

That sensational success at Twickenham, dated March 27, 1985, is also linked to the blue jersey, what memories do you have?

See also  MADE IN ENGLAND: 0:7? A real shame for United. West Ham deserved nothing at Brighton

«It was my first experience in the national team, I joined a group that, as scrum half-medians, also had Umberto Casellato and a boy from Petrarca Padova. This is not the only splendid memory with the Italy shirt, for example the following year we lost 6-3 in Rovigo with Australia. Returning to the victory on English soil, one can only imagine with what emotion we entered that stadium, which until then we had only heard about Paolo Rosi on television or we had read in books and newspapers. That was a strong national team, which also included Moscardi, who was then captain of Italy and Manteri. It was an event that caused a sensation, first of all, because it was strange that they let a youth selection play at Twickenham but above all because we won 6-3 ».

Was there not only the Feltre grenade in your rugby life, but also the red of the Tarvisium jerseys?

«When the cycle of that team from Feltre, which had touched the A, ended, the boys of my generation found themselves a bit halfway between those who had stopped and the new generations, who were growing up. So I decided to take a rest period, in reality there was the possibility of going to Treviso, together with Paulin and Piolo and we spent two wonderful Serie A championships, reaching the playoffs and touching the promotion in the top flight ».

How did you reconcile sport and study and what do you respond to your athletes when they claim that they cannot face the double commitment?

See also  If he accepted it, he would divorce, Javier Aguirre rejected a million-dollar proposal - El Futbolero México

«It was a different rugby and for this reason it was possible, with sacrifice, to play in A rugby and study. I shared my life between university in Padua, the rugby pitch in Treviso, family and friends in Feltre. You had to have a lot of passion, but it could be done, so many guys did it. However, it was a completely different era. I haven’t done a gym day in my life, now it would be impossible in A, but also in C. If you don’t manage your body, you face nasty surprises. I never judge a guy who tells me he can’t do it, certainly with the will you can do everything, but I respect the choices. Indeed, Feltre is peripheral, we do not have a university and we have limited resources, we do not have to worry if the kids at 19 want to go and play in the city where they study or in the most important clubs, we carry out our social task until they finish high school and then, when they finish their studies, they will have to know that here they will always find a solid company ».

You certainly do not like simple challenges, as a doctor, in full covid emergency, you have taken over the reins of the seniors team.

«It was a point of arrival, of a path that previously saw me coaching the youth teams for a couple of cycles. The moment has to be managed, but it doesn’t worry me, I like this type of challenge, because I am a coach who loves building relationships with his players, working with them even off the training pitch. Uncertainty complicates the work, without a doubt, but all in all playing a few games, with long times, allows you to do things calmly and extended times favor us. The project is not very short term, we have a young group, which is learning and will be able to do well. The variables are too many and totally diversified to set goals. We can not help but live Sunday by Sunday and in the end we will do the math. We have quality among the youngest, but also among those who have kept Rugby Feltre on their feet for the past five or six years. I found some guys who have technical skills, but above all important moral skills, guys with spirit and attachment to the shirt, who amazed me and are very important, because they show younger people how to train, both technically and with the correct approach. “.

See also  Insigne towards the renewal with Spalletti's Napoli

Unlimited access to all site content

3 months for € 1, then € 2.99 per month for 3 months

Unlock unlimited access to all content on the site

.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy