André Abadie (27 July 1934 – 6 January 2020) was a French rugby union player who played for the French national team from 1965 to 1968. He played as a

prop A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

Early life and military service

André Abadie was born in

Toulouse, France Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

. During his early years, he served in the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

during the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

Rugby career

Playing career

Club career

Abadie initially played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

for AS Longages before friends convinced him to try rugby at SC Rieumes, where he impressed coach Gaulène. He later joined Sporting Club Graulhetois, reaching the

French Rugby League Championship The French rugby league championship () was the top tier of the French rugby league system from its inception in 1934 until 2002 when the league was split into two divisions; the Elite One Championship and Elite Two Championship. In all season ...

semifinals twice: * 1966: Lost to

US Dax Union Sportive Dax Rugby Landes, also known as US Dax, is a French rugby union club currently playing in Pro D2, the second level of the French league system. They were founded in 1904. They play at Stade Maurice Boyau (capacity 16,170). They w ...

(11-5) * 1967: Lost to

US Montauban US Montauban () is a French rugby union club that currently competes in Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system. They have also competed at the top level, Top 14, in the past, most recently between 2007 and 2010. The ...

(9-6) He finished his playing career at

SC Albi Sporting Club Albigeois is a professional French rugby union club playing the third-level Nationale. During the past years it went back and forth between Top 14, the highest level of the French league system and the second-level Rugby Pro D2. ...

International career

Abadie made his international debut for France on November 28, 1965, against

Romania national rugby union team The Romania national rugby union team, nicknamed Stejarii (''The Oaks''), has long been considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations Championship, Six Nations. They have participated in all but one Rugby World Cup and cu ...

. In 1967, he was part of France’s tour of South Africa. His final international match was against Ireland on January 27, 1968. That same year, he played a role in France’s

Grand Slam (rugby union) In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship (or its Five Nations predecessor) beats all the others during one year's competition. This has been achieved 42 times in total, for the first time by Wales in 19 ...

in the

Five Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament contes ...

Coaching career

In 1971, Abadie became the head coach of

Toulouse Olympique Toulouse Olympique or TO XIII is a professional rugby league club in Toulouse, south-west France. Founded in 1937, two years after the French Rugby League Federation, the club is a six-time winner of the French Rugby League Championship. The clu ...

, where he mentored promising players like

Jean-Pierre Rives Jean-Pierre Rives (born 31 December 1952) is a French former rugby union player and visual artist. "A cult figure in France", according to the ''BBC'', he came to epitomise the team's spirit and "ultra-committed, guts-and-glory style of play".

, who later became a key figure in French rugby. From 1973 to 1974, he co-managed

Stade Toulousain Stade Toulousain () (), also referred to as Toulouse, is a professional rugby union club based in Toulouse, France. They compete in the Top 14, France's top division of rugby, and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Toulouse is the most successfu ...

alongside Jean Gajean.

Death

André Abadie died the 6 of January 2020.

Honors and achievements

French national team

* Grand Slam winner in the 1968 Five Nations Championship

SC Graulhet

* French Championship (First Division): ** Semifinalist (2): 1966, 1967 * Challenge Yves du Manoir: ** Finalist (1): 1976 * Challenge de l’Espérance: ** Winner (4): 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966

International career statistics

* Total Matches Played: 7 * Yearly Appearances: * 1965: 1 match * 1967: 4 matches * 1968: 2 matches * Tournaments Played: 1968 Five Nations Championship

Legacy

André Abadie was a key figure in French rugby during the 1960s. After his playing career, he contributed significantly as a coach, particularly with Stade Toulousain. His impact on French rugby, both as a player and a mentor, remains well remembered.

References

Bibliography

* Henri Garcia, Paris, Éditions de La Martinière, 1^er octobre 1996, 935 p. (ISBN 2-7324-2260-6)

External links

Federation Francaise de Rugby 1934 births 2020 deaths French rugby union players 20th-century French sportsmen Rugby union players from Toulouse Rugby union props SC Albi players France international rugby union players {{France-rugbyunion-bio-1930s-stub