Guilhem Guirado (born 17 June 1986) 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. During his 17-year career, he played for
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...
,
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department.
The Commune of Toulon h ...
, and
Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
. Guirado was also the captain of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
from 2016 to 2019.
Honours
Perpignan:
1x
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...
(
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
)
Toulon:
1x
Champions Cup (
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
)
Montpellier:
1x
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...
(
2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
)
1x
Challenge Cup
The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
(
2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
)
Career
Guirado first appeared on the professional scene playing for
Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...
from 2005, having joined from amateur junior side Arles-sur-Tech. In 2006, he was selected to play for the French U21 side in the
2006 Under 21 Rugby World Championship. He played in all matches, including the grand final against South Africa at the
Stade Marcel-Michelin. Three years later, he helped his club side Perpignan secure a 7th Top 14 title in the
2008–09 Top 14 season
The 2008–09 Top 14 Competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). It ran from late August 2008 through the final at Stade de France on June 6, 2009, in which Perpignan lifted the ...
, beating
Clermont 22–13. He was also part of the Perpignan side that came second the following year, that time losing to Clermont 19–6. His excellent form during 2008–09 season saw him selected for the
French national side for the
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship, the 114th series of the international championship.
Fifteen ...
. He earned his first cap off the bench in the closing week of the tournament against
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
on 9 March 2008. On that occasion, Les Blues were victorious 25–13. It was not until his sixth cap that Guirado earned his first start. Starting as Hooker against
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
during the
2010 rugby union internationals. He was part of the French side that were runners-up to the
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...
in the
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 World Rugby, International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japa ...
, though he only played in one game – against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
on 18 September.
From the
2013–14 Top 14 season
The 2013–14 Top 14 competition is a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Two new teams from the 2012–13 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 this year, Oyonnax and Brive in place of th ...
, Guirado joined Toulon, who were both European and French Champions, after Perpignan failed to stay in top division. He had already become first choice Hooker at international level, having started in every test against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
during France's
Test tour of Australia in 2014. He made his first appearance for Toulon against
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
, with Toulon winning 29–15.
Guirado later took part in the World Cup in 2015, a tournament which was a major disappointment in France. In the quarter-final, France lost 62-13 to New Zealand.
In 2015, after Guy Novès' nomination as Head Coach, he became captain of the national team. The level of the team then gradually improved, as players managed to play in a "French Flair"- based style. Playing very well for his club (Rugby Club de Toulon), and also impressing for the national team, the Frenchman's attitude and professionalism was praised by the press. Guy Novès also showered Guirado with praise, saying he was likely to be captain of the national team until his retirement, or at least until the end of Novès' head coach's mandate.
Guirado retired from international rugby in 2022.
Personal life
Born in France, Guirado is of Catalan descent.
References
External links
FFR profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guirado, Guilhem
1986 births
Living people
People from Céret
French rugby union players
France international rugby union players
Rugby union hookers
USA Perpignan players
RC Toulon players
Montpellier Hérault Rugby players
French people of Catalan descent
French people of Spanish descent
Sportspeople of Spanish descent
Rugby union players from Pyrénées-Orientales
2011 Rugby World Cup players
2015 Rugby World Cup players
2019 Rugby World Cup players
21st-century French sportsmen
Sportspeople from Catalonia