Pascal Papé is a French

French people

The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

 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.

He plays lock and has joined Stade Français after spending many years in Bourgoin

CS Bourgoin-Jallieu

CS Bourgoin-Jallieu is a French rugby union club currently competing in the second level of the French league system in the Pro D2. The club have been runners-up in the French championship and the Challenge Yves du Manoir competitions, and have won the Challenge Cup.Founded in 1906 as "Club...

, and playing two years at Castres Olympique

Castres Olympique

Castres Olympique is a French rugby union club located in the Midi-Pyrénées city of Castres and currently competing in the top level of the French league system.Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906...

. He earned his first test cap against Ireland

Ireland national rugby union team

The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...

 in the 2004 Six Nations Championship

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...

, scoring a try in the 35–17 victory.

Papé was overlooked 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,...

, and under new coach Marc Lièvremont

Marc Lièvremont

Marc Lièvremont is a former rugby union footballer and was the head coach of the French national rugby union team. He played as a back-row forward for France, gaining 25 caps from 1995 to 1999, and was selected in France's 1999 Rugby World Cup squad...

 he struggled to hold down a regular place in the starting line-up. He was a member of the squad that won the Grand Slam at the 2010 Six Nations Championship

2010 Six Nations Championship

The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...

, but made just one appearance during the 2011 Six Nations, and that was off the bench against Wales

Wales national rugby union team

The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...

. However, he was selected as part of the provisional squad for the 2011 World Cup

2011 World Cup

2011 World Cup may refer to:* 2011 Cricket World Cup* 2011 Baseball World Cup* 2011 Rugby World Cup* 2011 IFAF World Cup - American Football* 2011 World Cup * Chess World Cup 2011*In Football :**Women's 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup...

. Papé's subsequent form saw him elevated into the starting line-up for the finals against 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...

, Wales and New Zealand, in which he performed admirably.