Alexandre Menini (born 5 August 1983) is a retired 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 ...

player, who played

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

for

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 ...

side

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 ...

. He previously played for

Oyonnax Oyonnax () is the second most populated commune in the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. Oyonnax lies in a valley of the Jura Mountains in the far north of Ain. It is near the Parc naturel régional du Ha ...

, Béziers, Pays d'Aix RC,

Stade Montois Stade Montois is a French rugby union team that currently is playing in Pro D2, the second level of the country's professional league system. They were founded in 1908 and play in yellow and black. They are based in Mont-de-Marsan, the capit ...

and Biarritz.

Career

Menini's rugby career started out in 2005, when playing for Oyonnax in the 2005–06 Rugby Pro D2 season. During that season, he rarely played, only appearing 8 times in that season. He remained with the club for the following season, where he was used a dual-team player, representing Oyonnax in the 2006–07 Rugby Pro D2 season, and representing amateur side Rumilly in the

Fédérale 1 Le championnat de France de première division fédérale, a.k.a. Fédérale 1, is a French rugby union club competition, the fifth highest level of amateur rugby. The competition has been organised by the Fédération Française de Rugby since 2 ...

. He switched teams for the 2007–08 and

2008–09 Rugby Pro D2 season The 2008–09 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, in the 2008–09 season. It ran alongside the 2008–09 Top 14 season, 2008–09 Top 14 competition; both competitions were operated by the Nati ...

's, representing Béziers. He played more regularly for this team, though used mostly as an impact player of the bench in his first season. Though in his second season, he made 15 starting appearances. He signed with Pays d'Aix RC for the 2009–10 season following Béziers' relegation at the end of the 2008–09 season. Though he only played for Pays d'Aix RC for one season, signing for Stade Montois in 2010. He developed his scrimmaging abilities while playing for Montois, helping them to promotion to the Top 14 for the 2012–13 season. Unfortunately for Stade Montois, they were only able to stay in the top flight French league for one season, finishing last and being relegated back down to the Pro D2. In July 2013, Menini signed with Biarritz, after impressing head coach

Laurent Rodriguez Laurent Rodriguez (born 25 June 1960) is a retired French rugby player. He made his international debut for France on 5 July 1981 in a test against Australia. Rodriguez was called for the 1987 Rugby World Cup, where France was runners-up to New ...

, who believed Menini is likely to push hard for a spot in the starting XV. He said that Menini was impressive in a poor Stade Montois Campaign. He continued to develop into a world class prop, being signed by Champions Toulon in March 2014 as a Medical Joker for the Props. He was a stand out performer for Toulon, making three starts from seven appearances. His most notable, a bench place in the

2014 Heineken Cup Final The 2014 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2013–14 Heineken Cup, the 19th and final season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The Heineken Cup was replaced by a new top-level competition, the European Rugby Champions Cup, ...

. Menini was selected for the France national side for their 2014 Australian June Test Series, and was a surprise inclusion for a starting position in the second test. He ran out on the 14 June and played 49 minutes in his first test match. France lost 6–0.France ring in changes for second Wallabies Test
/ref> After the test series, Menini joined Toulon full-time after Biarritz were relegated after the 2013–14 Season.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Menini, Alexandre 1983 births Living people French rugby union players RC Toulonnais players Rugby union props France international rugby union players Sportspeople from Moselle (department) Oyonnax Rugby players Provence Rugby players AS Béziers Hérault players Lyon OU players Stade Montois players Biarritz Olympique players