Sebastien Chabal
Encyclopedia
Sébastien Chabal, born 8 December 1977 in Valence, Drôme
, is a French rugby union
rugby player. He has played number eight and lock professionally for the French team Bourgoin
(1998–2004); the English team Sale Sharks
(2004–2009); the French team Racing Métro 92 Paris (2009–current); and the French national side
. He earned his first international cap
on 4 March 2000 against Scotland
. He has represented France in 62 games scoring six tries
; two against Italy
in the 2007 Six Nations Championship
; a match-winning try against England
in the run-up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup
; two against Namibia
in the 2007 Rugby World Cup; and one against Italy in the 2009 Six Nations Championship
. He is one of the most popular sportsmen in France, so much that local journalists write and talk about Chabalmania.
Chabal has played rugby union at the highest level for over ten years and has won the English Premiership with Sale, and the 2007 Six Nations Championship
with France. He has also finished at fourth place, twice, in the Rugby World Cup
, in 2007
and 2011
. He is known for his full beard, long hair and ferocious tackling, leading the French rugby fans to nickname him l'Homme des Cavernes— the Caveman. With this look, he has a number of lucrative commercial contracts which has made him the highest paid French rugby union footballer since 2007.
Chabal is a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Monaco
-based international organization Peace and Sport.
, Chabal grew up in Beaumont-lès-Valence
in the Drôme department in southeast France. His modest family was originally from Ardèche
. His father worked in a garage and his mother worked in a jewellery store. Passionate about mechanical works, he attended a Lycée professionnel where he studied for and obtained a brevet d'études professionnelles in mechanics. He then worked as a milling machine operator in a Salmson
factory in Crest, Drôme
. While working in Crest, he played rugby for the amateur club in Beauvallon
. When he joined Valence Sportif
, he left his factory job and became a professional rugby union player.
While playing for Bourgoin-Jallieu, he married Annick and became stepfather to her daughter who was born in 1994. In 2005, he welcomed the birth of his daughter Lily-Rose.
. This time, he discovered a passion for the game, and the camaraderie that follows matches.
He quickly made his way up, through the French league system
. First with Valence Sportif
who played in the Fédérale 2
, the fourth division of French rugby, and then with CS Bourgoin-Jallieu
in 1998 who played in the top flight. Here, he played as a flanker
as his preferred position of number eight was taken by Pierre Raschi
. With Bourgoin-Jallieu, Chabal played at the highest level of French domestic rugby, European club rugby and from here gained his first international cap for France. Moreover, at Bourgoin-Jallieu he played with the golden generation of players from the club's youth system such as Lionel Nallet
, Julien Bonnaire
, Olivier Milloud
, Pascal Papé
, and Benjamin Boyet
. However, he did not win any trophies during this time although he played in the semi-final of the
French Championship during the 2003–2004 season
. He also played on the losing side in the 1998-99 European Challenge Cup
final, the final of the Challenge Yves du Manoir
in 1999, the final of the League Cup
in 2003 and the final of the Challenge Sud-Radio
in 2003.
On 11 October 2002, during the group stages of the 2002–2003 Heineken Cup, Bourgoin, with Chabal, defeated Sale Sharks
18–24 at Edgeley Park
, the home of Sale Sharks. During this match, Jason Robinson
received a yellow card for the first time in his career following a tackle from Chabal. In the return match, Bourgoin again defeated Sale, but finished second in their group to Biarritz Olympique
as they had scored less tries.
During the 2003–2004 Heineken Cup, Chabal and Bourgoin played against Munster
and Gloucester in the group stage. On 6 December 2003, Bourgoin lost their first match at home against the Irish province 17–18. Chabal scored the only try of the encounter, but Ronan O'Gara
scored six penalty kicks
. One week later, Bougoin suffered a heavy defeat away at the hands of Gloucester 49–13, with Chabal again scoring the only try for his team. Bourgoin lost against Gloucester at home, and lost five of six matches during their 2003–2004 European campaign, finishing third in their pool and were eliminated from the competition. On 25 January 2004, the head coach of Bourgoin, Philippe Saint-André
, was sacked after he applied for the position of head coach of the Welsh national team
, left vacant following the departure of Steve Hansen
. The ambitious plan for Bourgoin initiated by Laurent Seigne under the direction of Pierre Martinet and Patrick Sébastien had ended.
, but the club of the Ville Rose
made no offer for his services. However, Saint-André, now sporting director at Sale Sharks, signed him on a two year contract with the Manchester
outfit. Although Chabal had played at flanker throughout his time at Bourgoin, Saint-André selected him at number eight in his first match for Sale.
The 2004–2005 English Premiership
marked the return of Sale Sharks
to the country's top flight under the guidance of Saint-André. In their first two matches of the season, Sale, with Chabal, won against both Leicester Tigers
and London Wasps
, the favourites for the title that year. The English club won the 2004–05 European Challenge Cup
beating Pau
27–3 in the final. This was the first title won by Chabal. The Sharks lost their 2004–05 domestic league semi-final 43–22 against the eventual victors London Wasps
, despite a try from Chabal, but finished the season in third place, securing their place in the 2005–06 Heineken Cup. By the end of the season, Chabal had made the position of Sharks No. 8 position his own.
Chabal's second season with the English outfit brought more success. First, Sale reached the quarter-finals of the 2005-2006 Heineken Cup losing to Biarritz Olympique
. Earlier in the group stages, Chabal was the victim of a gang tackle by Paul O'Connell
and Anthony Foley
during Sale's group-deciding match against Munster at Thomond Park
. Chabal had only just caught a Ronan O'Gara restart when he was hit hard and driven back into his teams 22. The tackle was to turn the match in Munster's favour and established something of a stigma for Chabal against the Irish province (as he would be hit hard a number times by Munster centre Lifeimi Mafi
in a match during the 2008–2009 season
again with a crowd-pleasing outcome). Nevertheless back in the English league, Sale won the 2005–06 Guinness Premiership by beating London Wasps 22–12 in the semi-final before defeating Leicester Tigers 45–20 in the final. With his two year contract now up, Chabal turned down an offer to join Stade Toulousain
and extended his contract with the Sharks for a further year.
The 2006–2007 season
was not as successful as 2005–2006. Sale finished sixth in the Guinness Premiership
and were eliminated in the group stages of the Heineken Cup
. However, during the group stages of the Heineken Cup, Sale played against Stade Français and during the match in Paris
, Chabal scored an interception try from Agustín Pichot
, running 50 metres to the line. Following this performance, Chabal was selected for the French national side
for the 2007 Six Nations Championship
.
The 2007–2008 season
was met with more success than the 2006–07, with victories against some of the best teams in the domestic championship, but a home defeat to London Irish
on the last day of the regular season confined Sale to finishing the season in fifth place. However, this guaranteed them a place in the 2008–09 Heineken Cup having played in the 2007-08 European Challenge Cup
. During the quarter-final of the European Challenge Cup against CA Brive
, Chabal scored the first of six tries for the English side, but injured his knee. This injury forced him out of action for one month, during which Sale lost 36–14 to Bath Rugby
in the semi-finals. In December 2007, Chabal extended his contract with Sale for a further two years.
For the 2008–2009 season
, Saint-André started playing Chabal in the second row instead of his more usual position of No. 8 or flanker. During the group stages of the Heineken Cup
, Sale were grouped with Munster
and Clermont
, losing against both and depriving Sale and Chabal from the final phases of the competition. In the domestic competition, Sale were on course for a place in the playoffs, but not for a European competition place. However, in the penultimate game of the regular season, Chabal scored an important try that gave Sale an important bonus point and a place in the European competition. Despite this, during the last day of the regular season, although Sale won their match, results elsewhere led to Sale missing out on the play-offs and terminating the season for Chabal.
Philippe Saint-André had announced in December 2008 that he was to leave Sale Sharks at the end of the 2008–09 season with Kingsley Jones named as his successor. Chabal had already announced that he wished to return to play in France, his family had already left England in September 2008.
After five years at Sale, Chabal officially signed a three-year contract with the French club Racing Métro 92 in April 2009. The French club were recently promoted to the Top 14 in 2009 after winning the 2008-2009 Pro D2 with three rounds to spare. They also signed Lionel Nallet
and the South African's
François Steyn
and Jacques Cronjé
. Racing enjoyed success in their return to the top flight
, claiming the sixth and final slot in the newly expanded Top 14 playoffs, where they narrowly lost in the first round at eventual champions Clermont. Racing's sixth-place finish also gave them a berth in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup
. In September 2010, it was reported that Chabal is the highest-paid rugby player in the world, earning a reported €1 million per year.
Shane Richardson, Chief Executive of the South Sydney Rabbitohs
, an Australian rugby league
club revealed the club had contacted Chabal's management to inquire about the possibility to switch codes, where he would play "a portion of his season with the club." The club were unsuccessful in their attempts to pursue Chabal.
frequently used him as a lock. In a 2007 interview, Chabal said that Laporte called him just before the France squad was announced for the 2007 Rugby World Cup
and told him, "I really want to pick you but to play second row." Chabal accepted Laporte's offer.
At France's loss to England in the semi-final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Chabal was visibly distraught, as they failed to make it to the Final.
Chabal was not included in Les Bleus squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship
. He expressed a desire to continue to represent his country, and believed that omission from the June tour to Australia
would indicate that he was out of reckoning for France's 2011 World Cup
preparations. On 9 June 2008 he was recalled to the France squad for their Australian tour. He was selected in the French squad for the 2008 Autumn internationals
. He was called once again for the 2009 Six Nations Championship
.
In May 2011 Chabal was left out of France's provisional 32-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
.
Drôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
, is a French 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...
rugby player. He has played number eight and lock professionally for the French team 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...
(1998–2004); the English team Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
(2004–2009); the French team Racing Métro 92 Paris (2009–current); and the French national side
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 earned his first international cap
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...
on 4 March 2000 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...
. He has represented France in 62 games scoring six tries
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...
; two against Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
in the 2007 Six Nations Championship
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...
; a match-winning try 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...
in the run-up to 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,...
; two against Namibia
Namibia national rugby union team
The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999...
in the 2007 Rugby World Cup; and one against Italy in the 2009 Six Nations Championship
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
. He is one of the most popular sportsmen in France, so much that local journalists write and talk about Chabalmania.
Chabal has played rugby union at the highest level for over ten years and has won the English Premiership with Sale, and the 2007 Six Nations Championship
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...
with France. He has also finished at fourth place, twice, in the 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 2007
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 2011
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
. He is known for his full beard, long hair and ferocious tackling, leading the French rugby fans to nickname him l'Homme des Cavernes— the Caveman. With this look, he has a number of lucrative commercial contracts which has made him the highest paid French rugby union footballer since 2007.
Chabal is a member of the ‘Champions for Peace’ club, a group of 54 famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
-based international organization Peace and Sport.
Personal life
Born on 8 December 1977 in Valence, DrômeDrôme
Drôme , a department in southeastern France, takes its name from the Drôme River.-History:The French National Constituent Assembly set up Drôme as one of the original 83 departments of France on March 4, 1790, during the French Revolution...
, Chabal grew up in Beaumont-lès-Valence
Beaumont-lès-Valence
Beaumont-lès-Valence is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
in the Drôme department in southeast France. His modest family was originally from Ardèche
Ardèche
Ardèche is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River.- History :The area has been inhabited by humans at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The plateau of the Ardeche River has extensive standing stones ,...
. His father worked in a garage and his mother worked in a jewellery store. Passionate about mechanical works, he attended a Lycée professionnel where he studied for and obtained a brevet d'études professionnelles in mechanics. He then worked as a milling machine operator in a Salmson
Salmson
Salmson was a French engineering company, initially in the automobile and aeroplane manufacturing area,turning to pump manufacturing in the 1960s.-History:...
factory in Crest, Drôme
Crest, Drôme
Crest is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Crestois.-Sights:* The Tour de Crest, one of the highest medieval keeps in France - 52 m. Its height dominates the town. The tower was part of a castle which guarded one of the entrances to the...
. While working in Crest, he played rugby for the amateur club in Beauvallon
Beauvallon
Beauvallon is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:...
. When he joined Valence Sportif
Valence Sportif
Valence Sportif are a French rugby union club based in Valence, Drôme. The team currently compete in Fédérale 2, the fourth division of French rugby. Valence were established in 1905...
, he left his factory job and became a professional rugby union player.
While playing for Bourgoin-Jallieu, he married Annick and became stepfather to her daughter who was born in 1994. In 2005, he welcomed the birth of his daughter Lily-Rose.
Early years
Chabal first tried rugby at the age of nine, but gave it up after just two months. However, he again tried his hand at rugby when he was sixteen, by following two friends who played for the local club in BeauvallonBeauvallon
Beauvallon is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:...
. This time, he discovered a passion for the game, and the camaraderie that follows matches.
He quickly made his way up, through the French league system
French rugby union system
The major national club competition in France is the Top 14 . The Top 14 is played on a home and away basis between the top fourteen club sides in France. The second major competition in France is the Rugby Pro D2 competition...
. First with Valence Sportif
Valence Sportif
Valence Sportif are a French rugby union club based in Valence, Drôme. The team currently compete in Fédérale 2, the fourth division of French rugby. Valence were established in 1905...
who played in the Fédérale 2
Fédérale 2
Fédérale 2 is a rugby union club championship division in France. It is the fourth division of rugby above Fédérale 3. Teams can earn promotion to Fédérale 1, and subsequently, the professional leagues such as Rugby Pro D2 and the Top 14.-Results:...
, the fourth division of French rugby, and then with CS Bourgoin-Jallieu
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...
in 1998 who played in the top flight. Here, he played as a 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...
as his preferred position of number eight was taken by Pierre Raschi
Pierre Raschi
Pierre Raschi is a former French rugby union player who spent his whole professional career in Bourgoin, and is currently playing for Fédérale 2 club SO Voiron...
. With Bourgoin-Jallieu, Chabal played at the highest level of French domestic rugby, European club rugby and from here gained his first international cap for France. Moreover, at Bourgoin-Jallieu he played with the golden generation of players from the club's youth system such as Lionel Nallet
Lionel Nallet
Lionel Nallet is a French rugby union player who currently plays at lock for Racing Métro 92 in the French Top 14 club competition and is a former captain of the France national team. He began his professional career with CS Bourgoin-Jallieu, playing there from 1998 to 2003 before moving to...
, Julien Bonnaire
Julien Bonnaire
Julien Bonnaire is a French rugby union footballer, who played for CS Bourgoin-Jallieu in the Top 14 competition in France until the 2006–2007 season...
, Olivier Milloud
Olivier Milloud
Olivier Milloud is a French rugby union footballer, currently playing for Stade Francais in the top level of French rugby, the Top 14 competition. He has also played for the French national team, including being a part of their 2003 Rugby World Cup squad. He usually plays as a prop.He made his...
, Pascal Papé
Pascal Papé
Pascal Papé is a French rugby union footballer.He plays lock and has joined Stade Français after spending many years in Bourgoin, and playing two years at Castres Olympique...
, and Benjamin Boyet
Benjamin Boyet
Benjamin Boyet is a French rugby union footballer, currently playing in the top division of domestic French rugby, for Bayonne...
. However, he did not win any trophies during this time although he played in the semi-final of the
French Championship during the 2003–2004 season
2003–04 Top 16 season
The 2003-04 Top 16 season was the top level of French club rugby in 2003-05.The competition was played by 16 team.In the first phase, two pool of 8 was Played...
. He also played on the losing side in the 1998-99 European Challenge Cup
1998-99 European Challenge Cup
The 1998–99 European Challenge Cup was the third year of the European Challenge Cup, the second tier rugby union cup competition below the Heineken Cup. The tournament was held between September 1998 and February 1999-Pool 1:-Pool 2:-Pool 3:...
final, the final of the Challenge Yves du Manoir
Challenge Yves du Manoir
The Challenge Yves du Manoir was a rugby union club competition that was played in France between 1931 and 2003 under different names. It is named after former player Yves du Manoir.-History:...
in 1999, the final of the League Cup
Challenge Yves du Manoir
The Challenge Yves du Manoir was a rugby union club competition that was played in France between 1931 and 2003 under different names. It is named after former player Yves du Manoir.-History:...
in 2003 and the final of the Challenge Sud-Radio
Challenge Yves du Manoir
The Challenge Yves du Manoir was a rugby union club competition that was played in France between 1931 and 2003 under different names. It is named after former player Yves du Manoir.-History:...
in 2003.
On 11 October 2002, during the group stages of the 2002–2003 Heineken Cup, Bourgoin, with Chabal, defeated Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
18–24 at Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park is an association football and rugby union stadium in Stockport, England. The stadium was initially built for the rugby league club Stockport in 1901, but by 1902, the rugby club was defunct and in the same year, Stockport County Football Club, who were looking for a bigger ground,...
, the home of Sale Sharks. During this match, Jason Robinson
Jason Robinson
Jason Thorpe Robinson OBE is an English former international rugby union and rugby league player of the 1990s and 2000s. Playing at wing or fullback, he won fifty-one rugby union international test caps in total for England, and in rugby league he won twelve caps for Great Britain and seven for...
received a yellow card for the first time in his career following a tackle from Chabal. In the return match, Bourgoin again defeated Sale, but finished second in their group to 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...
as they had scored less tries.
During the 2003–2004 Heineken Cup, Chabal and Bourgoin played against Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
and Gloucester in the group stage. On 6 December 2003, Bourgoin lost their first match at home against the Irish province 17–18. Chabal scored the only try of the encounter, but Ronan O'Gara
Ronan O'Gara
Ronan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish rugby union player, playing at fly-half for both Munster and Ireland. He is the all time highest point scorer for both Munster and Ireland. In addition to his prolific point-scoring, he has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions...
scored six penalty kicks
Penalty (rugby union)
A penalty in rugby union is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise a team who commit deliberate infringements. The team who did not commit the infringement are given possession of the ball and they may either kick it towards touch , attempt a place kick at goal, or tap...
. One week later, Bougoin suffered a heavy defeat away at the hands of Gloucester 49–13, with Chabal again scoring the only try for his team. Bourgoin lost against Gloucester at home, and lost five of six matches during their 2003–2004 European campaign, finishing third in their pool and were eliminated from the competition. On 25 January 2004, the head coach of Bourgoin, Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Saint-André
Philippe Georges Saint-André is a former French rugby union footballer who earned 69 test caps for France between 1990 and 1997, 34 of them as captain. His preferred position was wing but he could also play at Fullback. After retiring, Saint-André found success as a rugby coach in both England and...
, was sacked after he applied for the position of head coach of the Welsh national team
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...
, left vacant following the departure of Steve Hansen
Steve Hansen
Steve Hansen is a New Zealand rugby union coach and former player.He was the head coach of the Welsh national team. He became the ninth Welsh coach in 13 years, after Graham Henry parted company with the Welsh Rugby Union in 2002. During his first game in charge, Wales performed well but lost by...
. The ambitious plan for Bourgoin initiated by Laurent Seigne under the direction of Pierre Martinet and Patrick Sébastien had ended.
English experience
Following the departure of Saint-André, and after six years wearing the blue jersey of Bourgoin, Chabal wanted to change his horizons and continue his professional development as a player at another club. He wished to join Stade ToulousainStade 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...
, but the club of the Ville Rose
Toulouse
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...
made no offer for his services. However, Saint-André, now sporting director at Sale Sharks, signed him on a two year contract with the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
outfit. Although Chabal had played at flanker throughout his time at Bourgoin, Saint-André selected him at number eight in his first match for Sale.
The 2004–2005 English Premiership
2004–05 Zurich Premiership
The 2004-05 Zurich Premiership was the 18th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions.Harlequins were relegated, to be replaced by Bristol.- Table :-Week 1:-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:-Week 5:...
marked the return of Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
to the country's top flight under the guidance of Saint-André. In their first two matches of the season, Sale, with Chabal, won against both Leicester Tigers
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...
and London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
, the favourites for the title that year. The English club won the 2004–05 European Challenge Cup
European Challenge Cup
The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...
beating Pau
Section Paloise
Section Paloise is a French rugby union club from Pau in Pyrénées-Atlantiques currently competing in Rugby Pro D2, the second level of the French league system.-History:...
27–3 in the final. This was the first title won by Chabal. The Sharks lost their 2004–05 domestic league semi-final 43–22 against the eventual victors London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
, despite a try from Chabal, but finished the season in third place, securing their place in the 2005–06 Heineken Cup. By the end of the season, Chabal had made the position of Sharks No. 8 position his own.
Chabal's second season with the English outfit brought more success. First, Sale reached the quarter-finals of the 2005-2006 Heineken Cup losing to 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...
. Earlier in the group stages, Chabal was the victim of a gang tackle by Paul O'Connell
Paul O'Connell
Paul O'Connell is an Irish rugby union player who plays lock for Munster and Ireland. He also captained the British and Irish Lions on their 2009 tour to South Africa.-Early life:...
and Anthony Foley
Anthony Foley
Anthony "Axel" Foley is a retired Irish rugby union footballer. He was educated at St Munchin's College in Limerick.-Shannon:...
during Sale's group-deciding match against Munster at Thomond Park
Thomond Park
Thomond Park is a stadium located in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and count Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. The capacity of the stadium is 26,500 following its large scale redevelopment in...
. Chabal had only just caught a Ronan O'Gara restart when he was hit hard and driven back into his teams 22. The tackle was to turn the match in Munster's favour and established something of a stigma for Chabal against the Irish province (as he would be hit hard a number times by Munster centre Lifeimi Mafi
Lifeimi Mafi
Lifeimi Mafi is a Tongan rugby union player, who currently plays for the Irish side Munster in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.-Career in New Zealand:...
in a match during the 2008–2009 season
2008-09 Heineken Cup
The 2008–09 Heineken Cup was the fourteenth edition of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. It started in October 2008 and ended on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh...
again with a crowd-pleasing outcome). Nevertheless back in the English league, Sale won the 2005–06 Guinness Premiership by beating London Wasps 22–12 in the semi-final before defeating Leicester Tigers 45–20 in the final. With his two year contract now up, Chabal turned down an offer to join 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 extended his contract with the Sharks for a further year.
The 2006–2007 season
2006-07 Guinness Premiership
The 2006–07 Guinness Premiership was the 20th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2006 and May 2007. It was announced during the 2005-06 season that the 2006-07 competition would end two weeks early due to the 2007 Rugby World Cup in...
was not as successful as 2005–2006. Sale finished sixth in the Guinness Premiership
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
and were eliminated in the group stages of the Heineken Cup
2006-07 Heineken Cup
The 2006–07 Heineken Cup was the 12th edition of the European Heineken Cup rugby union club tournament. The pool draw took place on 21 June at Twickenham. The pool stages started on 20 October and concluded in January, going for six rounds...
. However, during the group stages of the Heineken Cup, Sale played against Stade Français and during the match in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Chabal scored an interception try from Agustín Pichot
Agustín Pichot
Agustín Pichot is a retired Argentine rugby union player, formerly captain of the Argentine team and the English club Bristol. In addition to Bristol, he played for French sides Stade Français and Racing Métro after leaving Argentine team CASI from San Isidro in 1997...
, running 50 metres to the line. Following this performance, Chabal was selected for the French national side
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...
for the 2007 Six Nations Championship
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...
.
The 2007–2008 season
2007-08 Guinness Premiership
The 2007–08 Guinness Premiership was the 21st season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2007 and May 2008. Due to the 2007 Rugby World Cup the season started slightly later than normal, as England were trying to defend their title...
was met with more success than the 2006–07, with victories against some of the best teams in the domestic championship, but a home defeat to London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
on the last day of the regular season confined Sale to finishing the season in fifth place. However, this guaranteed them a place in the 2008–09 Heineken Cup having played in the 2007-08 European Challenge Cup
2007-08 European Challenge Cup
The 2007–08 European Challenge Cup was the 12th year of the European Challenge Cup, the second tier rugby union cup competition below the Heineken Cup. The tournament was held between November 2007 and May 2008.-Pool 1:-Pool 2:-Pool 3:-Pool 4:...
. During the quarter-final of the European Challenge Cup against CA Brive
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech .- History :The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on...
, Chabal scored the first of six tries for the English side, but injured his knee. This injury forced him out of action for one month, during which Sale lost 36–14 to Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
in the semi-finals. In December 2007, Chabal extended his contract with Sale for a further two years.
For the 2008–2009 season
2008-09 Guinness Premiership
-Table:-Round 1:-Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9:-Round 10:-Round 11:-Round 12:-Rearranged fixtures:-Round 13:-Round 14:...
, Saint-André started playing Chabal in the second row instead of his more usual position of No. 8 or flanker. During the group stages of the Heineken Cup
2008-09 Heineken Cup
The 2008–09 Heineken Cup was the fourteenth edition of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. It started in October 2008 and ended on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh...
, Sale were grouped with Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
and Clermont
ASM Clermont Auvergne
Association Sportive Montferrandaise Clermont Auvergne are a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system, ASMCA are the were the 2010 France Top 14 Champions. It is the rugby section of the multi-sport club...
, losing against both and depriving Sale and Chabal from the final phases of the competition. In the domestic competition, Sale were on course for a place in the playoffs, but not for a European competition place. However, in the penultimate game of the regular season, Chabal scored an important try that gave Sale an important bonus point and a place in the European competition. Despite this, during the last day of the regular season, although Sale won their match, results elsewhere led to Sale missing out on the play-offs and terminating the season for Chabal.
Philippe Saint-André had announced in December 2008 that he was to leave Sale Sharks at the end of the 2008–09 season with Kingsley Jones named as his successor. Chabal had already announced that he wished to return to play in France, his family had already left England in September 2008.
After five years at Sale, Chabal officially signed a three-year contract with the French club Racing Métro 92 in April 2009. The French club were recently promoted to the Top 14 in 2009 after winning the 2008-2009 Pro D2 with three rounds to spare. They also signed Lionel Nallet
Lionel Nallet
Lionel Nallet is a French rugby union player who currently plays at lock for Racing Métro 92 in the French Top 14 club competition and is a former captain of the France national team. He began his professional career with CS Bourgoin-Jallieu, playing there from 1998 to 2003 before moving to...
and the South African'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...
François Steyn
François Steyn
Francois Steyn is a South African rugby union player, who plays for the South African national team; and Racing Métro 92 in Paris. He was a member of the South African team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup...
and Jacques Cronjé
Jacques Cronjé
Jacques Cronjé is a South African rugby union footballer who plays as a loose forward for the Springboks and for Racing Métro 92 Paris in the French Top 14...
. Racing enjoyed success in their return to the top flight
2009–10 Top 14 season
Stade de France was listed as an alternate home for Stade Français because the club hosted five of their 13 home matches this season at the national stadium. Similarly, Stadium Municipal was listed as an alternate home for Toulouse, who normally play two Top 14 matches a year at that facility...
, claiming the sixth and final slot in the newly expanded Top 14 playoffs, where they narrowly lost in the first round at eventual champions Clermont. Racing's sixth-place finish also gave them a berth in the 2010–11 Heineken Cup
2010–11 Heineken Cup
The 2010–11 Heineken Cup was the 16th season of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby...
. In September 2010, it was reported that Chabal is the highest-paid rugby player in the world, earning a reported €1 million per year.
Shane Richardson, Chief Executive of the South Sydney Rabbitohs
South Sydney Rabbitohs
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in Redfern, a suburb of South-central Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League premiership and are one of nine existing teams from the state capital...
, an Australian rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club revealed the club had contacted Chabal's management to inquire about the possibility to switch codes, where he would play "a portion of his season with the club." The club were unsuccessful in their attempts to pursue Chabal.
International career
Although Chabal is primarily a back-row player, former France coach Bernard LaporteBernard 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,...
frequently used him as a lock. In a 2007 interview, Chabal said that Laporte called him just before the France squad was announced 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 told him, "I really want to pick you but to play second row." Chabal accepted Laporte's offer.
At France's loss to England in the semi-final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Chabal was visibly distraught, as they failed to make it to the Final.
Chabal was not included in Les Bleus squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
. He expressed a desire to continue to represent his country, and believed that omission from the June tour to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
would indicate that he was out of reckoning for France's 2011 World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
preparations. On 9 June 2008 he was recalled to the France squad for their Australian tour. He was selected in the French squad for the 2008 Autumn internationals
2008 end of year rugby tests
The 2008 end of year rugby tests, also known as the Autumn internationals saw Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, the Pacific Islanders and Canada tour the northern hemisphere. The tour ended with the traditional 'final challenge' Barbarians match, against Australia, which was the...
. He was called once again for the 2009 Six Nations Championship
2009 Six Nations Championship
The 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
.
In May 2011 Chabal was left out of France's provisional 32-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.