Former Rugby Canada international player Marco Di Girolamo is taking to the field once again as a member of the Canadian Classics team competing at the 36th Annual World Rugby Classic in Bermuda.
The 47-year-old Aurora resident returned to playing rugby last summer with the Aurora Barbarians, first as a send-off to the now closed Fletcher's Fields, before playing a full summer season with the men's first team.
“I went back to playing with the Barbs and realized how much I missed playing. Since the birth of my last child, I kind of gave up playing — been coaching but not really playing,” the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame member said. “I realized how much I missed it, and I just wanted to get back out there.”
“I'm glad at my advanced age they’re happy to have me back on the team,” he added.
The team headed to Bermuda is largely comprised of high-level players, many former rugby internationals themselves, mainly in their mid to late thirties, according to Di Girolamo.
“I’ll be one of the elder statesmen that’s for sure, but age is just a number,” he added. “As long as my body holds up, my mind is definitely there for sure. It’ll be a good event.”
Di Girolamo has played in the event in 2012 but said this time around, he’s had to be a “more diligent with my training.” In the run-up to the event, Di Girolamo also took to the dance floor for the annual Newmarket-Aurora Easter Seals fundraiser.
“It’s definitely a physically demanding sport, and when you’ve been out of it for a while, the injuries creep on you,” he said. “Now I have to make sure that the body is going to be able to withstand the punishment it’s about to take.”
Long-term, Di Girolamo plans on continuing playing for the next several years, with the hope he gets to play a game with his eldest son, who is 13.
Di Girolamo will be playing with the Canadian Classics team in the 36th Annual World Rugby Classic in Bermuda Nov. 2 to 8.
Canada plays its first game on Nov. 2 against Ireland.
