Raffaele Joshua Furno was born in Australia but grew up in Italy in the southern town of Benevento. He began his career with Viadana, then played with successor team Aironi in the Pro12 before their dissolution in 2012.
On 22 February 2014, he scored his first try for Italy in a Six Nations defeat to Scotland, and was subsequently named Man of the Match. On 24 August 2015, he was named in the final 31-man squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.[9]