François Moncla (; 1 April 1932 – 28 November 2021) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

international

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player, playing as a

flanker Flanker may refer to: * Flanker (perfume), a newly created perfume sharing attributes of an existing one * Flanker (rugby union), a position in rugby union (not found in rugby league) * ''Su-27 Flanker'' (video game), a 1996 computer game modelin ...

from the early 1950s to the mid-1960s. He earned 31

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

for

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

between 1956 and 1961, contributing to three Five Nations victories (1959, 1960, 1961), scoring 27 points. Moncla captained the national team 18 times and participated in tours to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

(1958),

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

(1960), and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

(1961). After moving to Paris for work, he played for Racing CF, winning the 1959 French championship, later going back home in his beloved

Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...

and joining

Section Paloise Section Paloise (), often referred to simply as la Section or Pau (), is a professional rugby union club based in Pau, France. They are participants in the Top 14, France's premier rugby division, and also compete in the EPCR Challenge Cup. The ...

to secure another title in

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

Biography

Early life

François Moncla was born on , in Louvie-Juzon, in the

Ossau Valley The Ossau Valley ( ; / ) is a valley of the France, French Pyrénées, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''departments of France, département''. Administration 18 communes of France, communes belong to the Valley: Arudy, Aste-Béon, Béost, Besca ...

, as the youngest of three children in a family with deep roots in the region. His grandfather, François Moncla, had several children, five of whom emigrated to

, though François' father, Jean-Casimir, eventually returned to

. François began playing rugby in his hometown and later at ''Étoile Sportive Arudyenne'' in

Arudy Arudy (; Gascon language, Gascon: Arudi) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. The commune has been awarded one flower by the ''N ...

. In 1948, he was selected for the

junior rugby team, where he initially played as a winger.

Racing CF

François Moncla moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

at age 17 for training at the French National School of Electricity in

Gurcy-le-Châtel Gurcy-le-Châtel () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is situated some 75 km south-east of Paris. Demographics Inhabitants are called ''Gurcyssois''. See also *Communes ...

. By 18, he earned a professional certificate and completed military service, becoming the French Air Force rugby champion in 1954 and inter-service champion in 1955. As a technical instructor, he coached the school's rugby team and played senior-level rugby for

Racing Club de France Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French multi-sport club that was founded on 20 April 1882 under the name Racing Club. Racing Club changed its name to Racing Club de France (RCF) on 21 November 1885. The club is located at the Bois ...

. He identified and mentored notable players, including Michel Crauste, while solidifying his position as a powerful flanker in 1952. François Moncla debuted with the France national rugby team in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

, initially playing as a second-row before excelling as a flanker. After a challenging

1957 Five Nations Championship The 1957 Five Nations Championship was the twenty-eighth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the sixty-third series of the northern hemisphere ru ...

, he impressed during the 1958 South Africa tour, scoring four tries. In 1959, he played a key role in France’s first solo Five Nations victory, scoring two decisive tries against Wales. That year, he also led the

to a championship victory over

Stade Montois Stade Montois Rugby 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 c ...

, capping a standout season. He was part of the France team that won the

Five Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament contes ...

in 1959, 1960 and 1961 and that toured South-Africa in 1958, Argentina in 1960 and New-Zealand in 1961.

Section Paloise

In 1959, François Moncla returned to

, joining

, where he played and captained

. Under his leadership, France achieved two consecutive "Petit Chelem" victories in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

's Five Nations. His international career ended after the challenging 1961 New Zealand-Australia tour. Domestically, Moncla led Section Paloise to several successes, notably winning the 1963–64 French Rugby Union Championship. He retired in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

, solidifying his status as a rugby legend in Pau and beyond. François Moncla served as president of Section Paloise from 1972 to 1979. His tenure reinforced his legacy within the club, showcasing his leadership beyond his playing career. He won the national championship twice, in 1959 with

and in 1964 with

Personal life

Moncla worked all his life at EDF-GDF. He was married with 3 children and lived in Pau. Moncla died on 28 November 2021, at the age of 89.Rugby : François Moncla, légende du XV de France et de la Section Paloise, est mort

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moncla, Francois 1932 births 2021 deaths French rugby union players 20th-century French sportsmen Rugby union flankers France international rugby union players Racing 92 players Section Paloise players Rugby union players from Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques Occitan sportspeople Occitan-speaking people