Chilean rugby adds a high-impact addition. The Mendoza Gonzalo Garciaformer Italian national team and World Cup winner with the Azzurra, was confirmed as a new member of the Old Mackayans Rugby Clubthe current multi-champion of the tournament Santiago Rugby Association in 2025.
The arrival of the former center trained at Marista RC de Mendoza marks a milestone for the Reñaquino club, which continues to consolidate its sporting project with a strong commitment to excellence and international projection. This fact occurs after the departure of Daniel Gracocoach trained in the traditional Tala Rugby Clubwho left a deep mark on the blue and white team. In his two seasons at the helm of Old Mackayans Rugby ClubGraco managed to maximize the team’s performance, consolidating a competitive identity and elevating the club to the top of Arusa rugby, laying the foundations for the successful cycle that today seeks to continue with the arrival of the Mendoza coach. Together with Agustín Fernández and Ignacio López, they will lead the current Chilean rugby champion.
A name with worldwide travel
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García, known as “Colo”, had an outstanding career as a professional player in Europe. He defended the Italian team between 2008 and 2016, playing in multiple editions of the Six Nations Championship and two World Cups: Rugby World Cup 2011 y Rugby World Cup 2015.
At club level, he played for teams such as Benetton Treviso and Zebre, establishing himself as a complete center, with a strong defensive presence and reading of the game.
A coach trained in the Italian system
After his retirement, García developed a career as a coach in Italy, quickly integrating into high-performance structures. He was head coach at Lyons Piacenza, led the Zebre Parma academy and coached the national team Italy Emerging XVa key piece in the development of players towards the senior team.
More recently, he worked as head coach at Colorno, within the competitive Italian Top10.
His profile combines South American training with experience in European professional rugby, especially in the development of young talent, an aspect increasingly valued in high performance.
Strategic reinforcement for a dominant team
García’s arrival comes at an unbeatable time for Old Mackayans. The Reñaca club is coming off a consecrated 2025 season, where it consolidated itself as multiple ARUSA champions, reaffirming its dominance in the capital competition.
In this context, the incorporation of a coach with international experience aims to:
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raise the competitive standard of the squad
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strengthen player development
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provide a tactical and methodological view of European rugby
Projection and ambition
With this move, Old Mackayans not only reinforces its present, but also projects its future. The arrival of Gonzalo García aligns with a growing trend in Chilean rugby: the incorporation of international knowledge and experience to enhance local development.
The challenge now will be to translate that journey into results on the field, in a team that already knows what it means to win, but that seeks to continue evolving.