Christophe Dominici (20 May 1972 – 24 November 2020) was a French
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player. In a career spanning seventeen years between 1991 and 2008, he played
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
for
Stade Français
Stade Français Paris Rugby () 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 clubs of the modern era. The ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, scoring a total of 25 tries in 67 international caps, emerging as one of the giants of French rugby. He also served as a member of the coaching staff at
Stade Français
Stade Français Paris Rugby () 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 clubs of the modern era. The ...
between 2008 and 2009. He had represented French clubs RC La Valette and
RC Toulonnais
Rugby Club Toulonnais (), also known as RCT but usually Toulon; oc, Rugbi Club Tolonenc) is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. A current participant in the first-tier Top 14 competition, they ...
earlier in his career.
Early life
Christophe Dominici was born in
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
to a family from
Santa-Reparata-di-Balagna
Santa-Reparata-di-Balagna is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Corse department
The following is a list of the 236 communes of the Haute-Corse departm ...
, in Corsica. By his own account he had a difficult, sometimes turbulent childhood.
He was outstanding at football and for a while was training with
AS Monaco
Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club SA, commonly referred to as AS Monaco () or Monaco, is a professional football club based in Monaco that is member of French Football Federation (FFF) and competes in Ligue 1, the top tier of Fre ...
, where he met
Lilian Thuram
Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender.
He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spai ...
, with whom he maintained a close friendship. However he decided to concentrate on rugby at which he showed exceptional talent and was already playing regularly for
Solliès-Pont
Solliès-Pont (; oc, Soliers-Pònt) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
It was the first location of the 1995 Éric Borel spree killings.
Population
In popular culture
Solliè ...
at a young age.
Career
Club career
Dominici started his club career with RC La Valette in 1991, before joining his home town side
RC Toulonnais
Rugby Club Toulonnais (), also known as RCT but usually Toulon; oc, Rugbi Club Tolonenc) is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. A current participant in the first-tier Top 14 competition, they ...
, where he was a regular for four seasons from 1993 to 1997. He moved to
Stade Français
Stade Français Paris Rugby () 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 clubs of the modern era. The ...
in Paris in 1997, representing the club through 2008, and emerging as one of the giants of French club rugby.
He was part of an era when
Stade Français
Stade Français Paris Rugby () 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 clubs of the modern era. The ...
won five French championships.
He later joined their coaching staff as an assistant coach at the start of the 2008-09 season.
International career
Dominici burst onto the international scene in 1998 with a try-scoring debut against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The following year, he lit up the
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial international rugby union championship. It was principally hosted by Wales, and was won by Australia. This was the first Rugby World Cup to be held in the sport's professi ...
with his pace, particularly in France's semi-final 4331 win against the
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...
where he scored a memorable
try
Try or TRY may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio
* ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs
* "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987)
* "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014)
* "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004)
* " Try (Ju ...
.
Dominici had a fine try-scoring record and grabbed four during the
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...
,
but he had a nightmare of a moment in the
2004 Six Nations Championship
The 2004 Six Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy. Overall, this was the 110th series of the international championship.
Match wi ...
against
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
when, having crossed the try-line, he dropped the ball when trying to put it down with one hand. However, France had still gone on to win the game 250. He started all five of Les Bleus' 2005 RBS Six Nations games.
He announced his international retirement on 5 January 2008, when his club side
Stade Français
Stade Français Paris Rugby () 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 clubs of the modern era. The ...
scored a 336 home win over
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) 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 ...
. He went on to say in his retirement statement:
France, it is over for me. It has been a big part of my life. At a certain moment, you must know to turn the page. There are other players who are also capable of bringing something o the team It is a new beginning, with an objective in four years' time he 2011 World Cup ... If I am honest, I know that I will not make that.
Christophe Dominici won a total of 67 caps for France between 1998 and 2007, scoring 25 tries, including 8 across three world cups, with the last of the games being a defeat to Argentina in the World Cup bronze-medal match in October 2007.
He was a member of the French team that won four Six Nations titles, including grand slams in 1998 and 2004.
Despite having a diminutive physique, he was acknowledged to have had beaten the best of defenses to emerge as one of the country's best
wingers.
His career, however, was not without its setbacks and off-field problems.
Post-retirement
Post his retirement, Dominici worked as a sports expert on French TV and radio.
He had also taken part in the
third season of ''
Danse avec les stars,'' France's version of ''Dancing with the Stars,'' partnering with French model and dancer
Candice Pascal; the couple was first to be eliminated.
In early 2020, he had worked with a
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
based consortium to bid for
Béziers rugby club based in southern France. The club was facing financial difficulties. However, the bid did not go through and was halted by the sport's financial regulator.
Personal life
In his life off the field, Dominici was known to have suffered bouts of depression. In his autobiography, ''Bleu à l'âme,
'' published in May 2007, he reveals that the death of his older sister had triggered depression. He also went on to write about being abused as a child.
Friends had also acknowledged that he had not taken the failed financial bid for the Béziers rugby club very well.
Death
Dominici died on 24 November 2020, in
Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthiest towns ...
, a suburb near Paris. He was 48. Witnesses had seen him climb the roof of an abandoned building at
Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthiest towns ...
Park before his death and was found critically injured.
In a statement about his contributions, the
French Rugby Federation
The French Rugby Federation (french: Fédération Française de Rugby (''FFR'')) is the governing body for rugby union in France. It is responsible for the France national rugby union team, French national team and the National Rugby League (Franc ...
said, "Today, the rugby family has lost a legend and an emblematic player."
The
New Zealand Rugby
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to t ...
Union acknowledged his career by saying, "Small in stature but a titan on the field, Christophe Dominici we will never forget you."
Toxicological tests on his body were negative for drugs and alcohol.
Records and statistics
Source(s):
Club career
*
French Rugby Union Championship/Top 14 199798, 19992000, 200203, 200304, 200607
* Finalist: 200405
* Finalist:
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
(European Cup) 20002001, 200405
* French Cup winner: 199899
* Finalist: 199798
International career
* 67 caps for France 1998 to 2007
* 25 Tries (125 points)
* Caps by Year: 4 in 1998, 10 in 1999, 4 in 2000, 8 in 2001, 9 in 2003, 7 in 2004, 5 in 2005, 8 in 2006, 7 in 2007
* Six/Five Nations appearances: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007
Rugby World Cup
*
Rugby World Cup 2007
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 ...
: 3 Appearances v Argentina, Georgia, New Zealand
2 Tries (2 v Georgia)
*
Rugby World Cup 2003
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...
: 5 Appearances v Fiji, Japan, Scotland, Ireland, England
4 Tries (2 against Fiji, 1 v Japan, 1 v Ireland)
*
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial international rugby union championship. It was principally hosted by Wales, and was won by Australia. This was the first Rugby World Cup to be held in the sport's professi ...
: 5 appearances v Canada, Fiji, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia
2 Tries (1 v Fiji, 1 v New Zealand)
Autobiography
* ''(french)''
References
External links
Christophe Dominiciat Eurosport.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dominici, Christophe
1972 births
2020 deaths
Deaths from falls
France international rugby union players
French autobiographers
French people of Corsican descent
French rugby union chairmen and investors
French rugby union players
RC Toulonnais players
Rugby union wings
Sportspeople from Toulon
Stade Français coaches
Stade Français players