Maxime Médard

Maxime Médard
Date of birth 18 November 1986 (1986-11-18) (age 25)
Place of birth Toulouse, France
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 89 kg (14 st 0 lb)
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position Fullback, Wing
Amateur clubs
Years Club / team
1995–2000
2000–2004
Blagnac
Stade Toulousain
Professional / senior clubs
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2004– Stade Toulousain 128 (240)
correct as of 11 February 2011.
National team(s)
Years Club / team Caps (points)
2008– France 028 0(48)
correct as of 21 November 2011.

Maxime Médard (born 16 November 1986 in Toulouse) is a French rugby union player who plays his club rugby for French club Stade Toulousain in Top 14 and France internationally. He can play as both a fullback and on the wing and is described by assistant national team coach Emile Ntamack as an "incredible talent" that, during the 2010–11 season, was finally "realizing his potential".[1] Medard is a two-time winner of the Heineken Cup and, in 2008, won the Top 14 for the first time.

Contents

Career

Club

Médard began his rugby union career playing for local club Blagnac as a youth. His father, Alain, had previously played for the club in the 1980s alongside his uncle Francis. In 2000, he joined Stade Toulousain and spent four years developing. Médard achieved numerous honours as a youth winning the Gaudermen Challenge in three straight years from 2001–2003. In 2004, he made his debut with the senior team and, in the following year, turned professional. In his first year as a professional, Médard was a member of the Toulousain team that won the 2004–05 Heineken Cup. Toulouse defeated league rivals Stade Français 18–12 in the final match. Médard burst onto the scene domestically in the 2007–08 season primarily due to injuries to Vincent Clerc and Clément Poitrenaud. He featured regularly in the team that won the Top 14 that season. For his efforts, he was declared the Revelation of the Year by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). On 5 September 2010, Médard scored the fastest try in league history since 2005 after scoring after 18 seconds against La Rochelle.

International

Prior to playing for the senior team, Médard was a regular international at youth level. In 2005, he was a member of the under-21 team that played at the 2005 Under 21 Rugby World Championship in Argentina. In the ensuing season, Médard won the 2006 edition of the competition that was played on home soil. He earned his first senior cap France in November 2008 during a test series match against Argentina. He appeared in subsequent test matches against the Pacific Islanders and the All Blacks. Médard's positive play within the team resulted in the player earning selection to the team that participated in the 2009 Six Nations Championship. In June 2009, Médard scored the late try that sealed France's first victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand since 1994.[2]

International Tries

Try Opposing team Location Venue Competition Date Result
1 Pacific Islanders Sochaux, France Stade Bonal Test 02008-11-15 15 November 2008 Won
2  Ireland Dublin, Ireland Croke Park Six Nations 02009-02-07 7 February 2009 Lost
3  Italy Rome, Italy Stadio Flaminio Six Nations 02009-03-21 21 March 2009 Won
4  Italy Rome, Italy Stadio Flaminio Six Nations 02009-03-21 21 March 2009 Won
5  New Zealand Dunedin, NZ Carisbrook Test 02010-06-13 13 June 2010 Won
6  Fiji Nantes, France Stade de la Beaujoire Test 02010-11-13 13 November 2010 Won
7  Scotland Paris, France Stade de France Six Nations 02011-02-05 5 February 2011 Won
8  Ireland Dublin, Ireland Aviva Stadium Six Nations 02011-02-13 13 February 2011 Won
9  England Auckland, NZ Eden Park 2011 World Cup Semi-finals 02011-10-08 8 October 2011 Won

Honours

Club

Stade Toulousain

International

France

References

External links