Fabien Pelous
Encyclopedia
Fabien Pelous is a retired French
rugby union
footballer. A lock who also occasionally played as a number eight and flanker
, he played almost all of his professional career for Stade Toulousain
, and is the all-time leader in appearances
for the French national team
. He also retired as the most-capped lock for any nation in rugby history, with 100 of his 118 France appearances at that position; this particular record is now held by South Africa's
Victor Matfield
.
and was introduced to rugby in Saverdun
.
.
He proved himself an inspirational captain for France after succeeding Fabien Galthié
ahead of the 2004
RBS 6 Nations
and enjoyed immediate success, leading Les Bleus to the Grand Slam
in his first year and followed that up with a second-placed finish in 2005
.
Pelous missed the summer test matches in 2005 with a serious knee injury. He returned to action in September and helped France to a 26-16 win over Australia
in November. However, he was handed a nine-week ban in the aftermath of that victory after being found guilty of elbowing Australia hooker Brendan Cannon
.
He was due to equal Philippe Sella's
record of 111 caps for France in the opener of the 2007 Six Nations
against , but was ruled out of the side due to an ankle injury. After he missed their second Six Nations tie against , he was ruled out of the entire Six Nations. After his injury troubles continued, hooker Raphaël Ibañez
, who had filled in for him as captain during the 2007 Six Nations, was named as France captain for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, with Pelous as unofficial vice-captain. He finally earned his record-equalling 111th cap on 11 August 2007 at Twickenham
against , and took the record by himself a week later in Les Bleus return match against England at Marseille
.
He ended his international career after the 2007 Rugby World Cup with 118 caps, 42 of them as France captain.
win the European Cup
three times, and the French Championship also three times before retiring from the game in 2009.
.
, receiving the International Rugby Players' Association Special Merit Award.
Djibril Cissé
. Pelous' name is the francization
of pelós, which means "hairy" in the Occitan language.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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...
footballer. A lock who also occasionally played as a number eight and flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
, he played almost all of his professional career for Stade Toulousain
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...
, and is the all-time leader in appearances
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the French national team
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...
. He also retired as the most-capped lock for any nation in rugby history, with 100 of his 118 France appearances at that position; this particular record is now held by South Africa's
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...
Victor Matfield
Victor Matfield
Victor Matfield is a South African rugby union player. He has played for, and captained the Springbok rugby team as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls franchise in the Super 14...
.
Early life
The son of a family of local farmers, Pelous was born in ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and was introduced to rugby in Saverdun
Saverdun
Saverdun is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Saverdun are called Saverdunois.Saverdun gave its name to the former city of Verdun, Quebec, Canada, now a borough of Montreal, which was founded in 1671 by Zacharie Dupuis, a native of...
.
International career
Pelous made his test début on 17 October 1995 against RomaniaRomania 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...
.
He proved himself an inspirational captain for France after succeeding Fabien Galthié
Fabien Galthié
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...
ahead of the 2004
2004 Six Nations Championship
The 2004 Six Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-tenth series of the northern...
RBS 6 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....
and enjoyed immediate success, leading Les Bleus to the 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...
in his first year and followed that up with a second-placed finish in 2005
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
.
Pelous missed the summer test matches in 2005 with a serious knee injury. He returned to action in September and helped France to a 26-16 win over 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...
in November. However, he was handed a nine-week ban in the aftermath of that victory after being found guilty of elbowing Australia hooker Brendan Cannon
Brendan Cannon
Brendan Cannon is a former Australian rugby union footballer who played for the national team, The Wallabies and three Australian teams in the Super 12 and Super 14 competitions....
.
He was due to equal Philippe Sella's
Philippe Sella
Philippe Sella is a French former rugby union player, who held the record for most international appearances until beaten by Jason Leonard. He became a member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1999, and the IRB Hall of Fame in 2008.Sella joined Saracens in 1996 from French side Agen...
record of 111 caps for France in the opener of the 2007 Six Nations
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
against , but was ruled out of the side due to an ankle injury. After he missed their second Six Nations tie against , he was ruled out of the entire Six Nations. After his injury troubles continued, hooker Raphaël Ibañez
Raphaël Ibanez
Raphaël Ibañez is a retired French rugby union footballer. A hooker, he was also a former captain of the France national team.-Club career:...
, who had filled in for him as captain during the 2007 Six Nations, was named as France captain for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, with Pelous as unofficial vice-captain. He finally earned his record-equalling 111th cap on 11 August 2007 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...
against , and took the record by himself a week later in Les Bleus return match against England at Marseille
Stade Vélodrome
The Stade Vélodrome is a football stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1, and was a venue in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It is the largest club-football ground in France, with a capacity of 60,031 spectators,...
.
He ended his international career after the 2007 Rugby World Cup with 118 caps, 42 of them as France captain.
Club career
Pelous helped ToulouseStade 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...
win the European 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,...
three times, and the French Championship also three times before retiring from the game in 2009.
Coaching
In April 2009, it was announced that Pelous would retire at the end of the 2008/09 season. During his last season at Toulouse, he took up a part-time role as an assistant coach of France AFrance A national rugby union team
The France A national rugby union team, known previously as France XV national rugby union team and France B national rugby union team, are the second national rugby union team behind the French national side.-History:...
.
Awards
The night after the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, Pelous was recognized at the IRB AwardsIRB Awards
The IRB Awards are given out annually by the International Rugby Board, the worldwide governing body for rugby union, for major achievement in the sport. They were first awarded in 2001...
, receiving the International Rugby Players' Association Special Merit Award.
Personal life
In his spare time, Pelous is involved in a winemaking venture that he started in 2002 with France football internationalFrance national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
Djibril Cissé
Djibril Cissé
Djibril Aruun Cissé is a French international footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Lazio as a striker. He is noted particularly for his speed and acceleration. Since 2005, he has held the title of Lord of the Manor of Frodsham....
. Pelous' name is the francization
Francization
Francization or Gallicization is a process of cultural assimilation that gives a French character to a word, an ethnicity or a person.-French Colonial Empire:-Francization in the World:...
of pelós, which means "hairy" in the Occitan language.
External links
- Fabien Pelous ESPN Scrum