Thomas Castaignède

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Thomas Castaignède
Personal information
Full name Thomas Castaignède
Date of birth January 21 1975 ( 1975-01-21) (age 33)
Place of birth Mont-de-Marsan, Aquitaine, France
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 84 kg (13 st 3 lb)
Occupation(s)    Banking
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position fly-half
centre
fullback
Amateur clubs
 -1993
1994-1997
1997-2000		 Stade Montois
Toulouse
Castres Olympique
Professional clubs Caps (points)
2000-2007 Saracens
National team(s) Caps (points)
1995-2007 Flag of France France 54 (247)

Thomas Castaignède (born 21 January 1975) is a former French rugby union footballer who was renowned as one of the most talented backs of his era.

Born in Mont-de-Marsan, Aquitaine, Castaignède played as a junior and senior for Stade Montois in various positions, initially as fly-half or centre, and latterly as fullback. He joined Toulouse to help them win French titles in three successive seasons, and lifted the inaugural European Cup with the club.

Castaignède entered the international scene in 1995 when his drop goal defeated England in the final minute of a Five Nations. Having joined Castres Olympique in preparation, in 1999 he was forced to pull out of the 1999 Rugby World Cup with a thigh problem.

Castaignède joined Saracens in 2000 but in November of that year he suffered an Achilles injury while warming up for France against Australia. The injury kept him out for 18 months, until April 2002. In 2003, he was dropped from the national team, with Bernard Laporte preferring Brian Liebenberg, and not returning until November 2005 against Australia when he appeared as a substitute in a 26-16 win.

Developing his career in preparation for his retirement, Castaignède became a rugby union columnist for The Guardian, a television pundit for Canal+[1] and occasionally ITV Sport, and started an association and occasional work with French banking group Société Générale.[2] On 10 May 2007, despite offers to return to France with various clubs, Castaignède announced his retirement from the sport after the 2007 Rugby World Cup in September, and pursue a career in banking in London.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Thomas Castaignède rejoint l'équipe des consultants de Canal +
  2. ^ Thomas Castaignède, joueur du XV de France, rejoint Société Générale Corporate & Investment banking, 30 janvier 2006,
  3. ^ Castaignède calls time on career BBC Sport - 10 May 2007

[edit] External links

v • d • e
France squad - 1999 Rugby World Cup
Forwards
Auradou • Benazzi • Brouzet • Califano • Costes • Dal Maso • de Villiers • Ibanez (c) • Juillet • M. Lièvremont • T. Lièvremont • Magne • Mallier • Pelous • Soulette • Tournaire
Backs
Bernat-Salles • S. Castaignède • T. Castaignède • Desbrosse • Dominici • Dourthe • Galthié • Glas • Lamaison • Mignoni • Marlu • Mola • N'Tamack • Sarramea
Coach
France This biographical article relating to French Rugby union is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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