Jean-Pierre Rives - Rugby

Rugby

Rives began playing rugby for his hometown club in 1974. Even though he was considered to be too small to play as flanker, standing at 5 ft 10 in (178 cm), he decisively proved the doubters wrong, and it was not long until his unmistakable talent gained attention from the national selectors. Rives made his France debut against England in 1975, at the age of 22, marking the start of an international career that would take him to the very top in terms of both personal and team achievements.

Jean-Pierre Rives was instrumental in helping France to the Grand Slam in 1977 and was installed as French captain during the 1978 season. He played for TOEC, Beaumont and Stade Toulousain, then in 1981 left Toulouse to join Racing Club de France. During Rives' rugby career, the essence of his game was to be always close to the ball, in the thick of the action. He was dubbed the Casque d'or (French for "Golden helmet") due to his long and wild blond hair. Roger Couderc, a celebrated French media personality, came up with this nickname that stuck with Rives throughout his entire career. It was his hair, along with his bravery, which also brought him the nickname Asterix.

Rives captained France in 34 games, a world record at the time, and played in the teams which completed the Grand Slam in the (then) Five Nations Championship in 1977 and 1981. Rives also captained the first French side to beat the All Blacks in New Zealand and was elected France's Player of the Year in 1977, 1979 and 1981. He also played for a World XV on 9 August 1980 against Argentina in Buenos Aires, losing 36-22. Rives would have his career ended by a succession of shoulder injuries in 1984. His final match for France came in that year's Five Nations defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield.

In 2000, a documentary feature film entitled L'Empreinte des champions: Jean-Pierre Rives (The Mark of the Champions: Jean-Pierre Rives) was released and made headlines. The reviews were largely positive, but there were detractors as well. The loudest criticism came from Libération, which found the documentary to be "evocative of a hagiography about a member of the Politburo, released by the Soviet news media." "Altruism, courage, charisma, generosity, moral strength, humility – € it's all there," lamented the left leaning French daily.

Jean-Pierre Rives was influential in France's bid to host the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and played a part in the trophy presentation following the tournament's final. One of his sculptures is now a part of the French rugby calendar, after he was asked in 2007 to design the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually to the winner of the Six Nations match between France and Italy. Also in 2007, Roselyne Bachelot, the French Minister of Health, inaugurated a new Sports Center in Courbevoie, a suburb of Paris. To honor Rives' brilliant achievements, the spacious new 272000 square foot Sports Complex was named Espace Jean-Pierre Rives.

A "legend", according to the BBC, and "a blood-stained hero remains an iconic presence to fans the world over", according the ESPN, Jean-Pierre Rives' fame transcends sport. He has been an inspiration and a role model for fans across generational and cultural lines."I marvel at the emergence of an artist like Jean-Pierre Rives," wrote the prize winning French author Antoine Blondin. Other admirers included such luminaries as architect Jean Nouvel, admittedly not a sports enthusiast, television personality Maïtena Biraben, who calls him "her idol," and actor Hugh Jackman, who said of him, "I was pretty obsessed with rugby player Jean-Pierre Rives. A small guy on the field, he finished every game with blood on face."