Federico Mendez (2 August 1972,
Mendoza), also known as Freddie Mendez is an
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
rugby union footballer.
Méndez played professional rugby in
South Africa,
England and
France. He also played for
Mendoza Rugby Club in Argentina and won 74 caps for the
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby union team (Spanish: ''Selección de rugby de Argentina'') represents Argentina in men's international rugby union; it is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union ( es, Unión Argentina de Rugby). Nicknamed the Pumas ...
, including appearances at four
Rugby World Cups, in
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
,
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
and
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
. Mendez was considered the best hooker at the 1995 World Cup and had the unique ability to play hooker, loosehead or tighthead.
Biography
Playing career
Méndez started his career with Mendoza RC in his hometown; he made his Argentina debut as a teenager, and was sent off in a match against
England for a punch on English lock
Paul Ackford
Paul Ackford (born 26 February 1958) is a former English rugby union international who played lock forward. He was formerly an inspector in the Metropolitan Police, and is now a columnist for The Telegraph.
Early life
Ackford was born in Hano ...
in 1990.
Méndez played in the 1995 Rugby World Cup and later played for in
South Africa winning the
Currie Cup in 1996.
He played for
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground in the c ...
and
Northampton Saints in England. He won the
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 ...
in 1998 with Bath (as a replacement) and then in 2000 with Northampton,
thus becoming the first player to win the trophy twice. Mendez also won the player of the season award for
Northampton Saints in the 1998–99 season.
Méndez then has a spell in
France with
Bordeaux-Bègles and a second spell with Sharks before returning to Argentina to play for Mendoza RC.
Coaching career
Méndez announced his retirement from rugby in 2005, but returned to the game later that year for a brief spell as player-coach at
Western Province in South Africa. He then went on to coach at his beloved Mendoza RC.
He recently turned down the position of
scrum coach for the South African Springboks. He said he could not live with himself if he helped the Boks beat the Argentinian Pumas.
Méndez is currently on the panel of judges for the annual
IRB Awards
The World Rugby Awards are given out annually by World Rugby (until November 2014, known as the International Rugby Board), the worldwide governing body for rugby union, for major achievements in the sport. The idea of rewarding excellence in rug ...
.
References
External links
RWC 2003 profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendez, Federico
1972 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Mendoza, Argentina
Bath Rugby players
Northampton Saints players
Argentine rugby union players
Sharks (Currie Cup) players
Western Province (rugby union) players
Rugby union hookers
Argentine rugby union coaches
Argentina international rugby union players
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in South Africa
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in France
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England
CA Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde players
Argentine expatriate rugby union players
Expatriate rugby union players in France
Expatriate rugby union players in England