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Manuel Carizza has joined Lyon, doing so as a medical joker for the injured Virgile Bruni. For the Rosarion second-rower it marks a third different Top 14 club that he will have played for.
The move comes with immediate effect. Having joined the club today he has been named straight away to play on Saturday against Grenoble. The Top 14 clubs meet in a pre-season fixture. Carizza joins Francisco Gomez Kodela in the team, giving Lyon two Pumas.
Carizza’s move to France’s second largest city comes after playing the past three years in Paris for Racing 92. This past season saw Carizza making 19 appearances for Racing 92.
The 33-year-old second-rower played in RWC 2011. He firmly held down the starting position during the Santiago Phelan tenure. Under the Daniel Hourcade regime he had fewer opportunities. His 42nd and 43rd caps were against New Zealand and Australia in the 2015 Rugby Championship. Carizza was a stand-out yet, miraculously, left out for RWC 2015.
France is where Carizza began his professional career. From 2005-2012 he played for Biarritz in the Top 14. He then moved to Racing 92 to play for them from 2012-2013 before moving south. In 2013-2015 he played for Western Province in the Currie Cup and the Stormers in Super Rugby. Then from 2015-2018 he returned to Racing 92.
While at Biarritz Carizza won the Top 14 in 2006 and added a title with Racing 92 in 2016. He also played in a European Champions Cup Final, losing against Toulouse.
Carizza is one of eight new recruits for the 2018-2019 Top 14 season. The others are Raphaël Chaume, Jérémie Maurouard, Loann Goujon, Patrick Sobela, Jean-Marc Doussain, Jonathan Wisniewski, Noa Nakaitaci, and Charlie Ngatai.
