France great Dominici dies
PARIS - Former rugby international Christophe Dominici, who was found dead at the age of 48 in a park near Paris on Tuesday, was undoubtedly one of the legends of modern French rugby.
The diminutive Dominici, who was 1.72m and 82kg, scored 25 tries in 67 Tests for France, including eight tries across three Rugby World Cups.
He had perfect balance, a deceptive change of pace and a shimmy that could lose and confuse defenders, as it did on October 31, 1999 when his try against a Jonah Lomu-fuelled New Zealand helped France to the greatest comeback in the history of the Rugby World Cup.
His second-half try in a remarkable semi-final, ducking between two All Blacks to grab a bouncing ball one-handed before skating down the left touchline, put the French ahead for the first time as they overturned a 14-point deficit to reach the final.
The head of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), Bernard Laporte, broke the news to the France squad preparing to face Italy on Saturday under the guidance of two of Dominici's team-mates in the famous 1999 game, hooker Raphael Ibanez and scrum-half Fabien Galthie.
“We were in a working session this afternoon... when Bernard Laporte informed us both of this terrible news. We are in shock,” said Ibanez, now a France coach.
“Domi was a legend in our sport. He wore the blue jersey with so much energy, so much passion.
“Christophe is above all our friend. We experienced great and beautiful emotions together, on the field but above all as a team.”
Former players from around the world joined the tributes.
“Deeply saddened to hear of Christophe Dominici's passing. He was a star of 1999 Rugby World Cup scoring a brilliant try in that thrilling semi-final and you had the feeling that something special would happen every time he took to the field. My condolances (sic) are with his family," tweeted Sir Bill Beaumont, chairman of World Rugby.
Former Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, who faced Dominici several times, tweeted: “Very sad to hear of the sudden passing of Christophe Dominici.
“A French player full of flair with huge success throughout his career. May he RIP.”