Cheeky Castaignede lifts Les Bleus’ spirits
Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful What’s happening here?
It’s January 20, 1996 and the young Toulouse utility back Thomas Castaignede has just nailed a vital dropped goal against England at the Parc des Princes – the final ever meeting between the old enemies at the iconic Paris citadel – to help secure an important 15-12 win. Getty’s legendary snapper Dave Rogers instinctively tracked the young livewire as he jogged back to the halfway line and caught this delightful impromptu moment from the schoolyard as he sticks out his tongue in celebration. Take that Les Rosbifs is the unspoken message. An impassioned and intense Richard Dourthe – another bright spark at centre that France had high hopes for – moves in to join the fun.
What’s the story behind the picture?
Although very competitive in the early 90s Les Bleus were a curate’s egg of a team. They possessed great individuals – Blanco at the end of his career, Phillipe Sella, Abdullatif Benazzi, Philippe Saint-Andre, Jean Luc Sadournay, Emile Ntamack et al – but the whole was often less than the sum of the parts. Especially against England.
England had the Indian sign over them – are we even allowed to say that anymore? – with eight consecutive wins over Les Bleus in all competitions dating back to 1988. That period included three Grand Slams while France also under performed badly at RWC1991 losing heavily to England in the quarter-final at the Parc.
In 1995, however, there were a few promising signs. Although hardly taking the world by storm they were unlucky to lose against South Africa in the RWC1995 semi-final in rain sodden Durban. Then they chiselled out an horrendously ugly but important 19-9 win over a disinterested and shell-shocked England in the 3rd-4th play-off game, one of the least distinguished matches in World Cup history.
They had at least broken the losing sequence and then came an Autumn of mixed messages. The massive encouragement of a 22-15 win over the All Blacks in Toulouse when the likes of Castaignede and Dourthe went well and then the disappointment of a 37-12 walloping seven days later against the same opponents in Paris. Which France would turn up against England?
What happened next?
Dream on. France were at their imperious best at the home of English football, aware that they could both defeat the Welsh and dent English pride by excelling at such an iconic English institution. This was an opportunity to be seized. A double whammy for the history books.
They went to work with elan in the best French style, i.e. brutish juggernaut forwards and stylish nimble-toes backs. Castaignede, in his absolute pomp, ran the show from fly-half as they romped in for seven tires with Wales scarcely landing a blow. It was imperious. Rugby from the Gods and they were immediately installed favourites for RWC1999. Nothing could stop them surely. More of which anon.
Why is this picture iconic?
This is surely a quintessential je ne sais quois moment of French cheekiness and playboy panache that encapsulates the character of Castaignede
while it is also an important moment in time. That World Cup play-off win in Pretoria didn’t really resonate that loudly back home – play-offs, unfairly, are rather looked on as the booby prize – but this was a Championship victory of import and a moment that restored French pride and hope. Good times were probably just around the corner.
And a new golden boy was on the scene. The French Rugby media crave a pin-up boy and two weeks before this picture Castaignede had scored a crucial try for Toulouse when they defeated Cardiff to win the inaugural final of the Heineken Cup at Cardiff Arms Park. He fitted the bill nicely.
Castaignede was to prove something of an enigma. Possibly the most talented and demonstrably world class modern day French player before the arrival of the sainted Antoine Dupont, his Test career was wildly erratic and perversely included just one World Cup game, in 1999.
At his best he was breathtakingly brilliant and a match-winning individual, but France could never decide whether he was a centre. He played 12 of his first 14 Tests at centre and 19 in total and ten internationals at fullback while the remainder of his 54 Tests, save for two as a replacement wing, were at fly-half which was clearly his best position.
He was everything the world wanted to see in a French back but Les Bleus steadfastly refused to invest fully in his mercurial genius at ten, they didn’t trust him. A strange move to unfashionable Castres from all conquering Toulouse in 1997, possibly didn’t help while in the latter half of his career at Saracens he was also hindered by a serious knee injury.
Footnote: The French revival had to wait just a while longer. After this moment of hope they managed to lose to Scotland and Wales on the road to finish mid-table, but great times were indeed just around the corner.
In 1997 they flexed their muscles and won the Grand Slam – Castaignede played just one game, against Ireland, in that championship – and in 1998, with Castaignede now ruling the roost at fly-half, they played rugby from the Gods to win another Slam. That campaign included staggering road wins at Murrayfield (51-16) and Wembley where they crushed temporary residents Wales 51-0. Castaignede’s display that day is probably as good as it gets for international tens.