Flying French wing dies

Christophe Dominici, who lit up French rugby from the wing at the turn of the century, has died, aged 48. His former club, Stade Francais Paris, announced his death yesterday without giving further details. The charismatic Dominici played 67 times from France over a decade to 2007 and scored 25 tries, among them one of the most storied in World Cup history. During the 1999 semifinal against New Zealand at Twickenham, while chasing a box kick from halfback Fabien Galthie, Dominici caught the All Blacks by surprise when he perfectly judged the bounce, grabbed the ball with his right hand and tore past two defenders to score between the posts. France won against the odds 43-31. He was also in the France team that upset the All Blacks in the 2007 World Cup quarterfinals.