Fabien Galthié
Encyclopedia
Fabien Galthié is a French rugby union
coach and former player. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played much of his club rugby for Colomiers
, and later on in his career, Stade Français
. Galthié won 64 caps for France, including four Rugby World Cup
appearances, as well as captaining the side at the 2003 World Cup. Former France national coach Bernard Laporte
has described him as the greatest scrum-half in French history.http://www.rediff.com/sports/2003/nov/18rugby1.htm He was the IRB International Player of the Year
in 2002.
, Galthié began his career at a club in Tournefeuille
, before joining Colomiers. He made his international debut for France in a match against Romania
in June 1991. In 1991 he found himself getting a call up into France
's 1991 Rugby World Cup
squad, replacing the injured Pierre Berbizier
. At the 1995 Rugby World Cup
he played in the semi-final defeat to South Africa
.
Galthié was a crucial member of the French team that upset New Zealand
in the semi-final of the 1999 Rugby World Cup
at Twickenham
. In 2000, Colomiers reached the French championship final, but Galthié had to watch from the stands due to a knee injury. The club lost 28–23 to Stade Français, whom he joined the following season. In 2001 Galthié was appointed captain of France. A successful year in 2002, including a Six Nations
Grand Slam
, saw France dominate the 2002 IRB Awards, with Galthié named Player of the Year
as well as French coach Bernard Laporte being named Coach of the Year.
Galthié captained France at the 2003 Rugby World Cup
in Australia, and secured France's bonus point against Scotland
in their third game, scoring the fourth try
in the game. He did not play in France's final pool game against the United States
. Galthié returned for the next game, the quarterfinal against Ireland which they won convincingly, but in the semi-final they lost to England
24–7. Following their semi-final defeat, France contested the third place play-off with New Zealand
. Afterwards Galthié announced his retirement from international rugby.
Galthié won his only club trophy on his last competitive match, the French championship final with Stade français against Toulouse
on 7 June 2003 at Stade de France
(32–18).
to take up the coaching job. In the first season, Paris made it to the final of both the Top 14 and Heineken Cup
finals, but were beaten by Biarritz Olympique
and Toulouse
respectively. The following season Paris were beaten by Toulouse in the Top 14 semi-final, and they were knocked out of the Heineken Cup by Leicester
. He left Paris in 2008 to become a TV pundit with the French public national channel France 2
and private radio Europe 1
. He was joined the Argentina
coaching staff during their end-of-the-year tour of Europe in November and December 2008. Galthié signed a three-year coaching contract with Montpellier
in 2010. Galthié proceeded to lead Montpellier to a Top 14 Final in his first year although his team had a much smaller budget than the rest of the league and merely a handful of internationally recognised players.
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...
coach and former player. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played much of his club rugby for Colomiers
US Colomiers
US Colomiers is a French rugby union club currently competing in Fédérale 1, the third level of the French rugby pyramid. They had been relegated from Pro D2 after finishing last in the 2006-07 season, but earned promotion from Fédérale 1 at the first opportunity in 2007-08, and survived a...
, and later on in his career, Stade Français
Stade Français Paris
Stade Français CASG is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era....
. Galthié won 64 caps for France, including four 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....
appearances, as well as captaining the side at the 2003 World Cup. Former France national coach Bernard Laporte
Bernard Laporte
Bernard Laporte is a rugby union coach and former French Secretary of State for Sport. He is currently the head coach at Toulon, having taken over in 2011 from Philippe Saint-André, who had been named the new head coach of the France national team. Laporte himself is a former head coach of France,...
has described him as the greatest scrum-half in French history.http://www.rediff.com/sports/2003/nov/18rugby1.htm He was the IRB International Player of the Year
IRB International Player of the Year
IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International Rugby Board. It is awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best performer in rugby union internationals in the preceding season IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International...
in 2002.
Playing
Born in CahorsCahors
Cahors is the capital of the Lot department in south-western France.Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot known as a 'presqu'île' or peninsula...
, Galthié began his career at a club in Tournefeuille
Tournefeuille
Tournefeuille is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.It is the second-largest suburb of the city of Toulouse, and is adjacent to it on the west side. It is a member of the Grand Toulouse.-Population:-Sport:...
, before joining Colomiers. He made his international debut for France in a match against Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
in June 1991. In 1991 he found himself getting a call up into France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
's 1991 Rugby World Cup
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
squad, replacing the injured Pierre Berbizier
Pierre Berbizier
Pierre Berbizier is a French former rugby union footballer, and currently head coach of Top 14 side Racing Métro. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played 56 times for France.-Biography:Berbizier was born in Saint-Gaudens...
. At the 1995 Rugby World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
he played in the semi-final defeat to South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
.
Galthié was a crucial member of the French team that upset New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in the semi-final of the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. In 2000, Colomiers reached the French championship final, but Galthié had to watch from the stands due to a knee injury. The club lost 28–23 to Stade Français, whom he joined the following season. In 2001 Galthié was appointed captain of France. A successful year in 2002, including a 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....
Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
, saw France dominate the 2002 IRB Awards, with Galthié named Player of the Year
IRB International Player of the Year
IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International Rugby Board. It is awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best performer in rugby union internationals in the preceding season IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International...
as well as French coach Bernard Laporte being named Coach of the Year.
Galthié captained France at 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...
in Australia, and secured France's bonus point against 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...
in their third game, scoring the fourth try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
in the game. He did not play in France's final pool game against the United States
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
. Galthié returned for the next game, the quarterfinal against Ireland which they won convincingly, but in the semi-final they lost to 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...
24–7. Following their semi-final defeat, France contested the third place play-off with New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
. Afterwards Galthié announced his retirement from international rugby.
Galthié won his only club trophy on his last competitive match, the French championship final with Stade français against Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
on 7 June 2003 at Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
(32–18).
Coaching
Galthié became the coach of Stade Français after head coach Nick Mallet departed the Paris club. Galthié was contacted by Max GuazziniMax Guazzini
Max Guazzini is a French entrepreneur and until June 2011 president of the Stade Français rugby union club of Paris, who compete in the top division of rugby union in France, the Top 14...
to take up the coaching job. In the first season, Paris made it to the final of both the Top 14 and Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
finals, but were beaten by Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
and Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
respectively. The following season Paris were beaten by Toulouse in the Top 14 semi-final, and they were knocked out of the Heineken Cup by Leicester
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
. He left Paris in 2008 to become a TV pundit with the French public national channel France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
and private radio Europe 1
Europe 1
Europe 1, formerly known as Europe n° 1, is a privately owned radio network created in 1955. It is one of the leading French radio broadcasters and heard throughout France...
. He was joined the 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...
coaching staff during their end-of-the-year tour of Europe in November and December 2008. Galthié signed a three-year coaching contract with Montpellier
Montpellier Hérault RC
Montpellier Hérault Rugby Club is a professional French rugby union, based in Montpellier the capital of Languedoc-Roussillon. The club competes in the top level of the French league system, in the Top 14. They originally played at Stade Sabathé but moved to the Stade Yves-du-Manoir in 2007...
in 2010. Galthié proceeded to lead Montpellier to a Top 14 Final in his first year although his team had a much smaller budget than the rest of the league and merely a handful of internationally recognised players.