Franck Mesnel (born 30 June 1961, Neuilly-sur-Seine) is a former 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 it ...

footballer. He played as a fly-half and as a centre. He is the founder of the French rugby and leisure clothing brand Eden Park. The company was founded in 1987 and is named after the stadium in New Zealand where that year France lost the first rugby union World Cup final.

Club career

Mesnel played for

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

(1980/81-1985/86) and for

Racing Club de France Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French omnisport club that was founded on 20 April 1882 under the name Racing Club. Racing Club changed its name to Racing Club de France (RCF) on 21 November 1885. The club is located at the Bois d ...

(1986/87-1996/97). He won the title of the French

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 French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

, in 1989/90, and finished second in 1986/87.

International career

He had 56 caps for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, from 1986 to 1995, scoring eight tries and three drop goals, 41 points in aggregate. He won the Five Nations four times, first with a Grand Slam, in 1987, then in 1988, tied with

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, 1989 and 1993. Mesnel also played in three

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

finals, in 1987, being vice-champion, 1991 and 1995, always without scoring. He also played for the English invitational team, the

Barbarian F.C. The Barbarian Football Club, known as the Barbarians is a British-based invitational rugby union club. The Barbarians play in black and white hoops, though players wear socks from their own club strip. Membership is by invitation. As of 2011, p ...

, alongside fellow French international Jean-Baptiste Lafond. After ending his player career, he became a sports commentator.

References

External links

* 1961 births Living people French rugby union players Rugby union fly-halves Rugby union centres Barbarian F.C. players France international rugby union players Sportspeople from Neuilly-sur-Seine Racing 92 players {{france-rugbyunion-bio-stub