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

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. 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