Raphaël Poulain (born 16 August 1980,

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

, Somme) is a former French

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player. He played on the wing. His first club was the

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris. The Communes of France, commune o ...

club, until 1998 when he signed for

Stade Français Stade Français Paris (known commonly as Stade Français, ) is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French ...

. He was considered to be one of the brightest hopes in the French rugby scene, until his career was ended prematurely after numerous injuries in 2005. These injuries caused him to miss no fewer than 6 major finals and decline a call-up to the French national side, before eventually succumbing to the curse.

External links

Interview on the Stade Français website, 2001
1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Amiens French rugby union players Rugby union wings Stade Français Paris players 21st-century French sportsmen {{France-rugbyunion-bio-1980s-stub