Aurélien Rougerie (born 26 September 1980) is a French former

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 on the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

and center 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 ...

and ASM Clermont Auvergne in 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 ...

for his entire 19-year career.

Career

Rougerie was born in

Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme Beaumont (Auvergnat: ''Biaumont'') is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. The commune lies to the south of the dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme (10 km from the commune and the city) which ...

. His father, Jacques Rougerie, was also a French international, playing at loosehead prop while his mother was an international at

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

(107 caps).

France

Rougerie debuted with the French national team against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

in 2001. He counts 76 caps for France scoring 23 tries. He played his last game for France in 2012 against Italy. Rougerie was part of the French team which reached the World Cup final in 2011 when he set up Thierry Dusautoir's try. Rougerie also captained the French Barbarians on two occasions, winning against Samoa in 2013 at the Stade Marcel Michelin and against Australia in October 2016 (19-11). Rougerie played for the Barbarians in 2003 against Scotland scoring a try. He is one of the rare player to have played for France, French Barbarians and Barbarians FC in his career.

Club

Rougerie sued Phil Greening of

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 a hand off during a European game in 2002 that left him with a throat injury forcing him to undergo 3 larynx surgeries. Greening was ordered to pay £29,000 in compensation. In 2007, Rougerie won the European Challenge Cup with Clermont against Bath at the Stoop of Twickenham (22-16). Then he captained the Clermont Auvergne side that won the French championship, the Bouclier de Brennus, after 10 unlucky chances, against Perpignan in a one way final (19-6) on 29 May 2010. Rougerie won his second

Bouclier de Brennus The Bouclier de Brennus, or Brennus Shield in English, is a trophy awarded to the winners of the French rugby union domestic league. The shield was not named, as it is often believed, after the famous Gallic warrior Brennus but rather artist Ch ...

in 2017 with Clermont before his last season as a professional player. Before the French Top 14 Final he came to see his coach Franck Azema and asked him not to start the game at the place of youngster Damian Penaud who finally performed very well during the game, settling up Clermont's only try of the game. 2017-2018 will be his 33rd and last season as an ASM Clermont Auvergne's player. In France and Europe, Rougerie is seen as an example of longevity and loyalty as a one-club career man.

Honours

Clermont *

champions: 2009–10, 2016–17 Personal *

top try scorer: ( 2006–07)

References

External links

France profile
at FFR
RBS 6 Nations profile
Living people 1980 births People from Beaumont, Puy-de-Dôme French rugby union players Rugby union wings ASM Clermont Auvergne players France international rugby union players Sportspeople from Puy-de-Dôme Sportspeople from Clermont-Ferrand {{France-rugbyunion-bio-stub