Olivier Merle (born 14 November 1965 in Chamalières,
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme (; oc, label=Auvergnat, lo Puèi de Doma or ''lo Puèi Domat'') is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the centre of France. In 2019, it had a population of 662,152.Ricky Evans the Welsh prop in Paris
causing a ruck to collapse on him breaking his ankle, resulted in his being sued successfully in the courts for damages. This was the first case of its kind and BBC video evidence was used in court. After that he never played for France again.
Merle started his career at ASM Clermont Auvergne, moving then to RC Vichy.
A French championship Title private following a refereeing error with Grenoble 1993
He also would play for
FC Grenoble
The Football Club de Grenoble Rugby (FCG) is a French rugby union club based in Grenoble and founded in 1892.
FCG was champion of France in 1954 and runner-up in 1918 and in 1993 during a controversial final, being deprived of the title of champ ...
and despite overpowering pack called the Mammoths of Grenoble his club tilts on the score of 14-11.
A try of
Olivier Brouzet
Olivier Brouzet (born 22 November 1972, in Béziers) is a French rugby union footballer. His usual position was at lock. He has played over 70 internationals for France, including being a part of numerous Rugby World Cup squads for France. He ...
is denied to Grenoble and the decisive try by
Gary Whetton
Gary William Whetton (born 15 December 1959) is a former New Zealand rugby union player. He played 180 matches for Auckland, and 58 tests (15 as captain) at lock for the All Blacks from 1981 to 1991. He serves on the Auckland Blues board and was ...
was awarded by the referee,
Daniel Salles
Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...
, when in fact the defender
Franck Hueber Franck can refer to:
People
* Franck (name)
Other
* Franck (company), Croatian coffee and snacks company
* Franck (crater), Lunar crater named after James Franck
See also
* Franc (disambiguation)
* Franks
* Frank (disambiguation)
* Frankie ...
from Grenoble touched down the ball first in his try zone.
This error gave the title to Castres. Salles admitted the error 13 years later.
Jacques Fouroux
Jacques Fouroux (24 July 1947 – 17 December 2005) was a French rugby union player and coach. He captained France when they won the Grand Slam in 1977, and was the manager when the side repeated the feat in 1981 and 1987.
Player
Fouroux, who p ...
the coach of FC Grenoble in conflict with the Federation and who was already suspicious before the match of the referee cry out conspiracy.
He returns for ASM Clermont Auvergne at the season of 1995/96, where he would stay until 1999/2000. He then moved to
RC Narbonne
R&C, RC, R/C, Rc, or rc may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* rc, the default Command line interface in Version 10 Unix and Plan 9 from Bell Labs
* .rc (for "run commands"), a filename extension for configuration files in UNIX-like ...
for two seasons, from 2000/01 to 2001/02. His final season was spent at Stade Aurillacois, in 2002/03.
The French lock had 45 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 ...
, scoring 6 tries, 30 points in aggregate, from 1993 to 1997. He was selected for the
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country.
The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...
, playing all the five matches. He played four times at the Five Nations, in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997, winning it the last time, with a Grand Slam.
FC Grenoble
The Football Club de Grenoble Rugby (FCG) is a French rugby union club based in Grenoble and founded in 1892.
FCG was champion of France in 1954 and runner-up in 1918 and in 1993 during a controversial final, being deprived of the title of champ ...
:
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...