Enrique 'Topo' Rodriguez
Encyclopedia
Enrique Edgardo Rodríguez (born in Concordia, Argentina
on 20 June 1952), popularly known as Topo (Spanish
for "mole
") is a Argentina
-born former international rugby union
player who played for Cordoba Province Team, Argentina
and Australia
; representing the Wallabies at the 1st Rugby World Cup
in 1987
.
He also represented the South American Jaguars
at test level (4 caps) and Tahiti
, even though uncapped.
His role was tighthead prop and was known for his hard play and excellent scrummaging technique.
After retiring from rugby in 1987, Rodriguez was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
. A play, Topo's story, has been written about his experiences of living with the mental illness .
After this 1983 Australian Tour the argentinian decided to settle in the country the following year. Rodriguez played his first test match for the Australian Wallabies against Fiji on the 9th June 1984 and the last against Argentina on the 7th November 1987.
He was also capped for Tahiti against France.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
on 20 June 1952), popularly known as Topo (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "mole
Mole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
") is a Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
-born former international 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 played for Cordoba Province Team, Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
and Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
; representing the Wallabies at the 1st Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
in 1987
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
.
He also represented the South American Jaguars
South American Jaguars
The South American Jaguars was an international rugby union team consisting of South American players that played during the early 1980s against the South African Springboks. South Africa invited South America to tour there as a way of counteracting its sporting isolation which was due to the...
at test level (4 caps) and Tahiti
Tahiti national rugby union team
The Tahiti national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union team, representing the island of Tahiti in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. They first played in 1971 and have played just 12 games to date, four against the Cook Islands and three against Niue. Other games have...
, even though uncapped.
His role was tighthead prop and was known for his hard play and excellent scrummaging technique.
After retiring from rugby in 1987, Rodriguez was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
. A play, Topo's story, has been written about his experiences of living with the mental illness .
Career
He played his first ever test match for Argentina against Australia on the 27th October 1979 and his last test match for the Argentinian team was also against Australia on the 7th August 1983.After this 1983 Australian Tour the argentinian decided to settle in the country the following year. Rodriguez played his first test match for the Australian Wallabies against Fiji on the 9th June 1984 and the last against Argentina on the 7th November 1987.
He was also capped for Tahiti against France.