Italian rugby legend Mirco Bergamasco has revealed he has been playing Gaelic football with a club in France ahead of the GAA World Games in Derry next month.
Bergamasco, who scored 17 tries in 89 matches for the Italian national team between 2002 and 2012, revealed in an interview with the Off The Ball podcast he has been trying his hand at Gaelic football with Nantes GAA - a club heading to the World Games in Derry in July.
The rugby star was forthright about his struggles with the round ball, but spoke in glowing terms about his enjoyment of the "fabulous" sport he has discovered.
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While the Italy legend didn't reveal whether he will be making a surprise appearance at Owenbeg next month, Nantes GAA public relations officer Brid Breen confirmed the club will have a detachment of around 20 players in attendance.
Bergamasco said he decided to try his hand at Gaelic football after meeting an official from the Nantes GAA club during a radio interview in France.
"I trained in September and I love it, I love it," he told Off The Ball. "It was great because when I am with this group, the group was very funny, very available with me, and very patient because when you don't know how to play it is important that the guys around you are very patient.
"I wanted to find something a bit different to rugby but with a little bit of contact - but not too much. It is important to me to do something that is different from rugby for my mind, so it was great."
Asked about his position, the Italian rugby legend said his "physical skills" made it an easy choice.
"I am a defender," he said. "With my physical skills they prefer me (in defence). My heart was with a rugby ball and the round ball is a little bit different so it was difficult for me in the beginning to use the ball because of a different pass, different kick, so I had a time of adaptation.
"When I did my first training it was amazing and I am 40 years old, so I need to stay fit because I am a coach."
He continued: "I wanted to find something different. In Nantes I find this fabulous sport, so for me it was easy. In Nantes it's easy because the group is great. A great group of friends who play together. You can talk easy, you can ask and the guys answer you. It was great to play a championship during the year."
He also revealed he sometimes struggles with strict Irish referees' interpretation of his hand passing abilities, saying:"The referee thinks that I do a rugby pass so they whistle me and say 'no, you can't do that', but I say I use the hand and they say no. Sometimes the Irish referees say no, you do a pass from rugby.
"The kicking was a little bit difficult. My power when I was a rugby player was kicking the posts. When the ball was on the ground, and I kicked the ball, it was easy. Now, the ball is in movement. It's a little bit different for me. In rugby it was the same, I was not very good kicking in movement."
Nantes PRO Brid Breen confirmed a contingent from Nantes GAA club will be heading to the World Games, saying: "Within France there are two championships. In Nantes we participate in the Brittany championship and then the French championship. There's about 20 or more players who are heading over to Owenbeg for the World Games. We have a good mix of players heading over that. They are really excited. It's a big games for them, it's their world cup."
A total of 93 adult teams from around the world playing football, hurling and camogie are expected at the Games.
There will be a parade through Derry City on July 24 down Shipquay street, finishing at the Guildhall with the opening ceremony at 7.00pm.
From July 24-27, the Games will take place at the Owenbeg Centre of Excellence near Dungiven, with the finals taking place in Celtic Park in Derry city on July 28.
The event is free.
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