Simon Danielli
Encyclopedia
Simon Charles Jonathan Danielli (born 8 September 1979 in Edinburgh
) is a professional rugby union
player who plays on the wing for Ulster
and Scotland
.
and achieved a Upper Second Class Degree in Philosophy and Theology at Oxford University (Trinity College
). At Oxford he was awarded two rugby union Blues playing in the Varsity Match
against Cambridge in 1999 and 2000.
Students and Under 21s. However, in January 2003 he opted to play for Scotland
. He made his international debut against Italy
during the World Cup warm-up match in August 2003 scoring a try. In his first start of the 2003 Rugby World Cup against the USA, when he scored two tries in a Scottish victory and went on to impress throughout the 2003 Rugby World Cup
tournament. He also scored a try in his Murrayfield
Six Nations
debut against England
in 2004.
Danielli joined The Borders from Bath
in September 2004, where he had been since the summer of 2001, prior to which he played for Bristol Shoguns.
He dropped out of the international picture in 2005, but was recalled to the Scotland squad for the 2006 Six Nations championship. With the Borders club being disbanded by the SRFU in 2007 Danielli moved to Ulster. He was also picked as part of the Scotland 2007 World Cup training squad.
He is currently playing for the Irish province Ulster, struggling to regularly break into the Scottish first-fifteen due to competition from the likes of the Lamont brothers and Chris Paterson.
However, he returned to the international scene on 28 February 2009 (against Italy in the Six Nations) with a try-scoring man of the match
performance. He would continue to start throughout this campaign. After injury he returned to the Scotland team again for the match against Italy during the 2010 Six Nations Championship.
Despite Danielli having few starts for Scotland in the run up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup he started in Scotland's opening game against Romania, scoring two tries in the 75th and 78th minutes saving Scotland from an embarrassing defeat.
His try scoring feats for Ulster have not gone un-noticed with IRB stating he was close to making the IRB player of the year list in 2009. His rate of nearly a try every two games makes him one of the most dangerous wingers in the Magners League.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) is a professional rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays on the wing for Ulster
Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Ulster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Belfast, representing the Irish province of Ulster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
and Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
.
Early life
Danielli - Italian family origin - was educated at Cheltenham CollegeCheltenham College
Cheltenham College is a co-educational independent school, located in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.One of the public schools of the Victorian period, it was opened in July 1841. An Anglican foundation, it is known for its classical, military and sporting traditions.The 1893 book Great...
and achieved a Upper Second Class Degree in Philosophy and Theology at Oxford University (Trinity College
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
). At Oxford he was awarded two rugby union Blues playing in the Varsity Match
The Varsity Match
The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. By tradition, the match is held on the second Tuesday of December. In 2005, however, this changed, and the match was on Tuesday 6 December. In 2007, it was held on a Thursday for...
against Cambridge in 1999 and 2000.
Rugby career
Danielli represented EnglandRugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
Students and Under 21s. However, in January 2003 he opted to play for Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
. He made his international debut against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
during the World Cup warm-up match in August 2003 scoring a try. In his first start of the 2003 Rugby World Cup against the USA, when he scored two tries in a Scottish victory and went on to impress throughout the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
tournament. He also scored a try in his Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
debut against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in 2004.
Danielli joined The Borders from Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
in September 2004, where he had been since the summer of 2001, prior to which he played for Bristol Shoguns.
He dropped out of the international picture in 2005, but was recalled to the Scotland squad for the 2006 Six Nations championship. With the Borders club being disbanded by the SRFU in 2007 Danielli moved to Ulster. He was also picked as part of the Scotland 2007 World Cup training squad.
He is currently playing for the Irish province Ulster, struggling to regularly break into the Scottish first-fifteen due to competition from the likes of the Lamont brothers and Chris Paterson.
However, he returned to the international scene on 28 February 2009 (against Italy in the Six Nations) with a try-scoring man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
performance. He would continue to start throughout this campaign. After injury he returned to the Scotland team again for the match against Italy during the 2010 Six Nations Championship.
Despite Danielli having few starts for Scotland in the run up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup he started in Scotland's opening game against Romania, scoring two tries in the 75th and 78th minutes saving Scotland from an embarrassing defeat.
His try scoring feats for Ulster have not gone un-noticed with IRB stating he was close to making the IRB player of the year list in 2009. His rate of nearly a try every two games makes him one of the most dangerous wingers in the Magners League.