Audrey Nolan asked:
Raphael Ibanez will once again lead his country into a Rugby World Cup in September, eight years after he led his team to the final in 1999 against Australia.
He retired from international rugby in 2003 after the World Cup semi-final defeat against England, after giving the captain title to Fabien Pelous after the 1999 final which France lost 37-12.
Fabien Pelous has struggled with a knee injury ever since tearing ligaments in the 2004 Heineken Cup final, and is still fighting with it as the 2007 World Cup approaches.
Ibanez came out of retirement in 2005, and helped France to Six Nations title in 2006, before assuming the captaincy again in Pelous’s absence for the 2007 Six nations which France also won.
Ibanez also paid tribute to his friend, Fabien Pelous, from whom he now formally takes over the captaincy. “Fabien has had a tough season. He has been injured for most of the year, and when I took over as captain during the Six Nations, things were a bit unclear. The coach and manager told us both that we are both very important to this team and we both have a really big part to play; but because he has been injured, they want Fabien’s initial priority to be to work his way back to being the first choice in his position.”
As hosts of the tournament, France will kick off the tournament with a difficult game against Argentina on Friday, September 7 at the Stade de France. France will go then on to face Ireland, Georgia and Namibia in the pool stages.
About the Author
Audrey Nolan is a high-ranking writer on sports for the online betting industry. You can also find more of her work at http://www.instantactionsports.com/uk
Feel free to reprint this article in its whole on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.
Hotel due stelle
Raphael Ibanez will once again lead his country into a Rugby World Cup in September, eight years after he led his team to the final in 1999 against Australia.
He retired from international rugby in 2003 after the World Cup semi-final defeat against England, after giving the captain title to Fabien Pelous after the 1999 final which France lost 37-12.
Fabien Pelous has struggled with a knee injury ever since tearing ligaments in the 2004 Heineken Cup final, and is still fighting with it as the 2007 World Cup approaches.
Ibanez came out of retirement in 2005, and helped France to Six Nations title in 2006, before assuming the captaincy again in Pelous’s absence for the 2007 Six nations which France also won.
Ibanez also paid tribute to his friend, Fabien Pelous, from whom he now formally takes over the captaincy. “Fabien has had a tough season. He has been injured for most of the year, and when I took over as captain during the Six Nations, things were a bit unclear. The coach and manager told us both that we are both very important to this team and we both have a really big part to play; but because he has been injured, they want Fabien’s initial priority to be to work his way back to being the first choice in his position.”
As hosts of the tournament, France will kick off the tournament with a difficult game against Argentina on Friday, September 7 at the Stade de France. France will go then on to face Ireland, Georgia and Namibia in the pool stages.
About the Author
Audrey Nolan is a high-ranking writer on sports for the online betting industry. You can also find more of her work at http://www.instantactionsports.com/uk
Feel free to reprint this article in its whole on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.
Hotel due stelle
