Jacques Brunel (born 14 January 1954) is 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 ...
coach and former player. He was most recently the
French national team head coach, having previously been assistant coach for his nation and had led the
Italian national team
The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...
between 2011 and 2016. Brunel, who has spent most of his career in France, formally coached his former team
Auch, as well as
Bordeaux Bègles,
Colomiers
Colomiers (; oc, Colomèrs; Languedocien dialect: ''Colomièrs'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southwester ...
,
Pau and
Perpignan.
Early life and playing career
Jacques Brunel, born in
Courrensan
Courrensan (; oc, Corrençan) is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.
Geography
The Auzoue
The Auzoue is a long river in the Gers and Lot-et-Garonne'' départements'', southwestern France. Its source is at Bassoues. It ...
, played club rugby for his local side at age grade level, and joined the academy side at
Auch in 1967 at the age of 13. Haven moved through the age grade ranks, he graduated to the club's senior side in 1972 at the age of 18. He represented the club up until 1979, playing in the
French Rugby Union Championship, where for most of the time, the club failed to progress past the Pool stages. During the
1979–80 French Rugby Union Championship, Brunel played for
Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
, where they made it to the Last 32 stage, but was beaten by
Montferrand 10–3. In 1980, again Brunel only made it as far as the Last 32, with
Carcassonne
Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department.
Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Au ...
, being beaten by
Béziers 29–6. In 1981, he returned to Auch, where he remained with the club until his retirement at the end of
1987–88 season.
Coaching career
The beginning
He started coaching immediately after he retired from playing rugby in 1988, where he became the head coach of
Auch until 1995. During his time as coach at the club, he led the team to 4 Top 16 rounds, 3 of which came in consecutive years. In 1995, he arrived at
Colomiers
Colomiers (; oc, Colomèrs; Languedocien dialect: ''Colomièrs'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southwester ...
, where in just his second season in charge, he led the team to the Quarter-finals of the
1996–97 French Rugby Union Championship
The 1996–97 French Rugby Union Championship was played by 20 teams
Stade Toulousain won their 14th title, beating CS Bourgoin-Jallieu, Bourgoin in the final.
Preliminary round
The 20 team were divided in the preliminary phase in two pools o ...
. During the 1997–98 season, he led the team to the Semi-final of the
French Rugby Union Championship, but narrowly lost to
Perpignan 15–12. However, he did oversee Colomiers first ever trophy wear, when they won the
1997–98 European Challenge Cup. In 1999, Brunel took the team one step forwards, leading them to the
1999 Heineken Cup Final
The 1999 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 1998–99 Heineken Cup, the fourth season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 30 January 1999 at Lansdowne Road in Dublin. The match was contested by Ulster of ...
, only to lose to
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
21–6.
In 1999, he moved to
Pau, where during the
1999–2000 French Rugby Union Championship, they made it to the semi-final, where they lost to Brunel former club Colomiers 24–22. Pau did however, make it to the
1999–2000 European Challenge Cup
The 1999–2000 European Challenge Cup was the fourth year of the European Challenge Cup, the second tier rugby union cup competition below the Heineken Cup. The tournament was held between November 1999 and May 2000.
Pool stage
Pool 1
Pool ...
final, where they beat
Castres Olympique 34–21. However, in Brunel stood down from his post after his second season, following Pau's poor form, and close call with relegation. In 2001, Jacques Brunel joined the technical staff of the
French national team under the guidance of
Bernard Laporte
Bernard Laporte (born 1 July 1964) is a rugby player, coach and former French Secretary of State for Sport. From 1999 to 2007, Laporte was the head coach of the France national team. In 2011, he became the head coach at Toulon, after Philippe Sa ...
, training the forwards. Under his guidance, France became known for their strong forwards work, which was a key element in their
Six Nations Championship grand slam winning campaigns in 2002 and 2004. It was also a key part in France coming fourth in 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 ...
, and saw them through to the Semi-finals of the
2007 Rugby World Cup, which saw France beat
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, 20–18, in the Quarter-finals. However, France were dominated by a strong
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 ...
pack during the Semi-finals, which saw the home side lose 14–9, before being dominated again by
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in the Bronze final, to lose 34–10. France's form during that world cup, saw all coached lose their job with the National team.
Perpignan (2007–2011)
After the world cup, he joined Perpignan as the head coach. In his debut season, he guided the team to fourth on the table, however they lost to
Clermont 21–7 in the Semi-final. Though, during the
2008–09 Top 14 season, he led the team to victory, topping the table with 92 points, 20 wins from 26 matches, and a Semi-final win over
Stade Français 25–21. They then beat Clermont 22–13. Perpignan topped the table again in the
2009–10 Top 14 season, and then went on to beat Toulouse 21–13 in the Semi-final to set up a repeat of the 2009 final. However, on this occasion, Clermont won 19–6. In 2011 he left his post with Perpignan to join the
Italian national team
The Italy national football team ( it, Nazionale di calcio dell'Italia) has represented Italy in international football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing bo ...
as head coach.
Italy (2011–2016)
Jacques Brunel's first match in charge of Italy came during the
2012 Six Nations Championship
The 2012 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2012 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 13th series of the Six Nations Championship. The annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship was ...
, which saw Italy face France in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. France scored 4 tries to claim a 30–12 victory in Brunel's opening match. That was followed by a narrow 15–19 loss to England in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and a 42–10 loss to
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. They went into the final week with 4 losses, however a 13–6 win over
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
saw Italy avoid the wooden spoon. Brunel's starting pack during that Scottish game, was the most internationally experienced ever to play an international match. Brunel gained a further two victories during Italy's
2012 Summer Tour, where they beat
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
25–16 and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
30–10. They did however lose to
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in the opening fixture of the tour, losing 37–22. During Italy's
2012 end of year tests, they came within three points of beating
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, losing 19–22 in
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
.
During the
2013 Six Nations Championship, Italy equaled their best positioning of fourth, with wins over France and Ireland, with the Irish win the first against the team in the Championship. Due to the
2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, Italy joined Scotland,
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
in a quadrangular tournament hosted by the Springboks. Italy lost all three games, to finish last in the tournament. During the
2013 end of year tests, Italy claimed a sole win against
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), 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 ...
, who was down to just 11 player at one point in the game, where Italy scored 17 points in that time, to earn a full-time score of 37–31.
Italy finished last during the
2014 Six Nations Championship
The 2014 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2014 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 15th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championshi ...
, the first time since Brunel became head coach. They lost all five matches, which was followed by a
Summer Tour white-wash in June later that year. They lost in consecutive week-ends to Fiji 25–14, Samoa 15–0 and
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
26–23 - which was Italy's first ever loss to the Japanese. Their 9-match losing streak came to an end in their opening fixture of the
2014 end of year tests, beating Samoa 24–13.
In 2015, Italy finished fifth during the
2015 Six Nations Championship
The 2015 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 16th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union tournament. It was contested b ...
, with their only win coming against Scotland, winning 22–19. Though, this win was Italy's first win over Scotland in Scotland, since 2007. Italy later went down to Scotland twice during the Rugby World Cup Warm-ups, with the second test being a record defeat, 48–7. During their
2015 Rugby World Cup
The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was onl ...
campaign, Italy only came away with 2 wins to finish third in their pool. They opened with a 32–10 loss to France, before narrowly beating Canada 23–18 a week later. They were massively competitive in their game against Ireland, losing by just 7 points, 16–9. Their final game came against Romania, which was a must win game for both teams if they wanted to qualify for the
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...
. Italy scored 4 tries to earn a bonus point, which led them to a 32–22 win.
Bordeaux Bègles
On 14 March 2016, following the completion of his contract with Italy, Brunel announced he would become the forwards coach for Bordeaux Bègles. However, by the end of the
2015–16 Top 14 season, Brunel had been promoted to head coach of Bordeaux, with Régis Sonnes stepping down as the lead coach.
Brunel's first match in charge was a 15–9 victory over reigning champions
Racing 92
Racing 92 () is a French rugby union club based in suburban Paris that was formed in 2001 with the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and US Métro. They were called Racing Métro 92 between 2001 and 2015, when they changed the name ...
. Despite the good start to the season, Bordeaux only went on to win 10 games in 25 matches for the rest of the season, placing them in eleventh on the table. While in Europe, they failed to progress out of the pool stage, winning just half of their games.
Until his departure, Bordeaux put in inconsistent performances in the
2017–18 Top 14 season
The 2017–18 Top 14 competition is the 119th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Two new teams from the 2016–17 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 (Oyonnax and Agen) in place of the t ...
, winning just 7 games in the opening 13 rounds. Though this did include victories over giants
Clermont,
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 ...
and
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 ...
. Whilst in the
European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
, they had only managed to defeat Russian side
Enisey-STM heading into the final two rounds. With the announcement of Brunel stepping up to lead the French national team, he coached his last game at Bordeaux on 30 December 2017, losing away to
Stade Français 22–12.
France
On 27 December 2017, Brunel was named as the new coach of the
French national team after
Guy Novès
Guy Novès (born 5 February 1954) is a former French rugby union player and most recently coach of the French national team. Born in Toulouse, Novès, who played on the wing, was capped seven times for his country, and played with Stade Toulousa ...
was sacked due to a series of poor results.
Brunel's first match in charge, was a last minute loss to
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, losing 15–13, with a drop goal from
Johnny Sexton
Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored o ...
three minutes into over time during the
2018 Six Nations Championship. The following week, in what was the first ever match where the
Auld Alliance Trophy
The Auld Alliance Trophy is a trophy in rugby union awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Scotland.
The Trophy was first awarded in 2018, the centenary of the end of World War I, to commemorate the ...
was contested,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
claimed the victory winning 32–26. Brunel gained his first victory in round 3, defeating
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 ...
at the
Stade Vélodrome in
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, the first time France had taken a home game away from
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
during the Championship, to retain the
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy ( it, Trofeo Garibaldi; french: Trophée Garibaldi) is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy.
The trophy, designed by former French internati ...
. In round 4, France defeated
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 ...
for the first time since 2015, running out 22–16 victors, and had it not been because of a defeat to
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
(14–13) in the final round, France could have finished second. However, their narrow loss meant they finished fourth, ahead of England and Italy in fifth and sixth. During the
2018 June rugby union tests, Brunel led France to a series whitewash against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, losing the first test 52–11, the second 26–13 and the third 49–14.
The 2018/19 International Season for France saw Brunel lead his nation to just three wins in eight matches, defeating
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
during the
2018 November test window and Scotland and Italy during the
2019 Six Nations Championship; finishing fourth on the table. Despite this, the Championship was not without recorded for the French side, losing to Wales in the opening round after leading 16–0 at half time before going onto recording their biggest defeat to England, losing 44–8.
Coaching statistics
Italy
International matches as head coach
Note: World Rankings Column shows the World Ranking Italy was placed at on the following Monday after each of their matches.
Record by country
Honors
*
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy ( it, Trofeo Garibaldi; french: Trophée Garibaldi) is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy.
The trophy, designed by former French internati ...
**Winners: 2013
France
International matches as head coach
Note: World Rankings Column shows the World Ranking France was placed at on the following Monday after each of their matches
Record by country
Honors
*
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy ( it, Trofeo Garibaldi; french: Trophée Garibaldi) is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy.
The trophy, designed by former French internati ...
**Winner: 2018, 2019
*
Auld Alliance Trophy
The Auld Alliance Trophy is a trophy in rugby union awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Scotland.
The Trophy was first awarded in 2018, the centenary of the end of World War I, to commemorate the ...
**Winner: 2019
Other honours
Colomiers
Colomiers (; oc, Colomèrs; Languedocien dialect: ''Colomièrs'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southwester ...
*
European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
**Winner: 1998
*
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 ...
**runner up:
1999
Pau
*
European Challenge Cup
The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception i ...
**Winner: 2000
Perpignan
*
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 ...
**Winner: 2009
**Runner-up: 2010
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 ...
''(as assistant coach)''
*
Six Nations Championship
**Winner: 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007
**Runner-up: 2005
*
Grand Slam
Grand Slam most often refers to:
* Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves
Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to:
Games and sports
* Grand slam, winning category te ...
**Winners: 2002, 2004
*
Trophée des Bicentenaires
**Winner: 2004, Nov 2005
*
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy
The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy ( it, Trofeo Garibaldi; french: Trophée Garibaldi) is a rugby union trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Six Nations Championship match between France and Italy.
The trophy, designed by former French internati ...
**Winner: 2007
References
External links
Jacques Brunel nuovo allenatore dell'ItaliaBrunel: «Leur mettre le doute»
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brunel, Jacques
1954 births
Living people
French rugby union coaches
French rugby union players
USA Perpignan coaches
Italy national rugby team coaches
Union Bordeaux Bègles coaches
France national rugby union team coaches
US Carcassonne players