Cristian Stoian

Cristian Stoian
Full nameNiculae Cristian Stoian
Date of birth (1999-12-19) 19 December 1999 (age 25)
Place of birthChișinău, Moldova
Height1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight115 kg (18 st 2 lb; 254 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Current team Fiamme Oro
Youth career
2014−2016 Rugby Anzio
2016−2017 Rugby Legio Invicta
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017−2019 F.I.R. Academy ()
2019−2021 Fiamme Oro 25 (0)
2020−2021 →Zebre 4 (0)
2021−2022 Zebre 3 (0)
2021−2022 →Fiamme Oro 7 (0)
2022− Fiamme Oro ()
Correct as of 23 April 2022
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019 Italy Under 20 10 (0)
2020− Italy 2 (0)
2021−2022 Emerging Italy 2 (0)
Correct as of 5 December 2020

Niculae Cristian Stoian (born 19 December 1999) is a Moldovan-born Italian rugby union player. His usual position is as a Lock and he currently plays for Fiamme Oro.[1]

Biography

Born in Moldavia, Stoian moved to Italy at a young age. He began playing rugby aged 15, signing up with the Rugby Anzio Club. He played an Under-16 and an Under-18 season in Anzio, before being loaned to the Roma Legio XV Rugby youth franchise for the 2016–17 season.

From 2017 to 2019, while playing for the Rugby Anzio Club, Stoian was selected in the F.I.R. Academy, playing two seasons in Serie A. In 2019 he was called up in the Italy Under 20 squad that took part in the Six Nations and World Cup category, making 10 appearances.[2]

In the summer of 2019 Stoian was signed by Top10 team Fiamme Oro and for the end of 2019–20 Pro14 season and for 2020–21 Pro14 season he was named as Permit Player for Zebre.[3] In November 2020 he was called up to the Italy squad by coach Franco Smith, making his international debut on November 28, 2020, in the Autumn Nations Cup match with France, taking over from the bench.[4]

On 8 December 2021, Stoian was selected by Alessandro Troncon to be part of an Emerging Italy 27-man squad for the 2021 end-of-year rugby union internationals.[5] On 26 May he was called in Italy A squad for the South African tour in the 2022 mid-year rugby union tests against Namibia and Currie Cup XV team.[6] On 11 December 2023 he was called in Italy Under 23 squad for test series against IRFU Combined Academies.[7]

In 2021−22 season he played for Zebre in United Rugby Championship with a Dual contract in order to play on loan as Permit Player with Fiamme Oro in Top10.[8][9]

References

  1. ^ "Player Profile". Fiamme Oro Rugby (in Italian).
  2. ^ "ITALIA U20, SCELTO IL XV PER L'ESORDIO AL SEI NAZIONI CONTRO LA SCOZIA". Italy Rugby Union (in Italian). 30 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  3. ^ "LE ZEBRE RUGBY DANNO IL BENTORNATO A CINQUE PERMIT PLAYERS PROVENIENTI DAL MASSIMO CAMPIONATO ITALIANO" (in Italian). Zebre. 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. ^ "ITALIA, I CONVOCATI PER I CATTOLICA TEST MATCH E LA AUTUMN NATIONS CUP 2020". Fir Rugby. 3 November 2020.
  5. ^ "ITALIA EMERGENTI, GLI AZZURRI CONVOCATI PER IL MATCH CONTRO LA ROMANIA". Italy Rugby Union (in Italian). 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  6. ^ "ITALIA A IN RADUNO A TREVISO DAL 16 GIUGNO". Italy Rugby Union (in Italian). 10 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  7. ^ "I 30 CONVOCATI DALLA SELEZIONE U23 PER LA SFIDA CONTRO I PARI ETÀ IRLANDESI". Italy Rugby Union (in Italian). 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  8. ^ "I DUE ATLETI DELLE FIAMME ORO RUGBY ALESSANDRO FUSCO E CRISTIAN STOIAN AGGIUNGONO QUALITÀ ALLA ROSA DELLE ZEBRE RUGBY". Zebre Rugby (in Italian). 2 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Fiamme in ritiro a Moena con 5 nuovi innesti, il ritorno di Carlo Canna e di altri 3 giocatori dalle Zebre". Fiamme Oro Rugby (in Italian). 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.