Uomo dell'anno -RUGBY in Italia-

haykj · Messaggio da **haykj** » 27 dic 2005, 11:14

Io voto per :
 Jacques Fouroux
 
 ( la sua storia mi ha insegnato molto)
 
 Obituary
 
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 Jacques Fouroux
 
 Inspirational rugby player and coach who led France to three Five Nations victories
 
 Barry Newcombe
 Tuesday December 27, 2005
 The Guardian
 
 
 Jacques Fouroux, who has died aged 58 of a heart attack, was one of the most influential figures in French rugby history. Confident to the point of arrogance, Le Petit Caporal (the Little Corporal), as he was known, drove the teams he played for and coached to increasingly demanding targets. His remorseless sense of ambition was understood by all the players who came under his command, and the results achieved by France - and other French teams with which he was involved - bear testimony to his passionate and technically secure approach to the sport.
 
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 Fouroux recognised that to play winning rugby in the higher echelons of the game was to produce team after team with packs of forwards whose power and skills were equally matched. Given those basic requirements, he then added the refinements. He stood just 5ft 3ins tall and played at scrum-half with his socks down, but, like many who have occupied this decision-making position, he was a quick reader of situations and made everyone around him aware of the possibilities in any area of the pitch. He was bossy, fussy and driven, and his nickname, originally given to Napoleon by his troops, was well earned.
 In 1977 France won the grand slam Five Nations championship for only the second time. Fouroux led the team to victories over Wales in Paris, England at Twickenham, Scotland in Paris and Ireland in Dublin. France used the same team throughout the championship, something no grand slam side had done before. Although it was anticipated that Wales would give France its hardest test that winter, the visitors lost 16-9, while France went on to win its closest match of the campaign by 4-3 against England. Fouroux set up the only try at Twickenham with a pass that bounced off another player's chest early in the second half.
 
 The 1977 France team was a reflection of Fouroux's views on forwards. He played behind a pack which included some of the most formidable players in French history, including Robert Paper-emborde and Gérard Cholley at prop and Jean-François Imbernon and Michel Palmié in the second row. He also had a magificent back row trio, with Jean-Pierre Bastiat at No 8 and two fearless, fast flankers in Jean-Claude Skrela and the flaxen-haired Jean-Pierre Rives.
 
 Fouroux emerged from the club in Auch, his home town, to play 28 times for France and lead the side from 1972 to 1977, winning three Five Nations titles. When he moved on to coach France, his players claimed another four championship titles, and when the first World Cup competition was established in 1987, France were among the favourites to win. After drawing with Scotland in a pool game, France moved on to defeat Fiji in the quarter finals and earn a semi-final against the co-hosts, Australia. This was a wonderful match, won by France 30-24, with a try in the corner by the French full-back Serge Blanco in the last minute. But France did not have the same impact in the final, against New Zealand in Auckland, and were beaten 29-9.
 
 Fouroux was in charge until 1990, when he resigned following a defeat against Romania. But he retained a high profile in French sport, answering his dismisssal from the French Rugby Federation in 1991, after a political row, by heading to Grenoble as coach. Here he built a pack which was often referred to as Les Mammoths, and took the team to the final of the French championship in 1993. He asserted that Grenoble had been deprived of winning the final against Castres for political reasons, and set off to try to establish a rugby league team in Paris. When that foundered, he returned to rugby union, and lately had been assisting the Italian club L'Aquila.
 
 Nearly 2,000 people attended Fouroux's funeral at the Sainte-Marie cathedral in Auch. Six players from the 1977 grand slam team were pall bearers, each wearing the blue blazer of the French Barbarians team, which was formed in that year. Daniel Dubroca, one of the 1977 team, said that Fouroux was "ahead of today's rugby 20 years ago". Fouroux is survived by his wife Monique and sons David and Jean-Baptise.
 
 · Jacques Fouroux, rugby player and coach, born July 24 1947; died December 17 2005

bear8 · Messaggio da **bear8** » 2 gen 2006, 10:58

io voto cavinato per lo spirito sportivo che gli appartiene....soprattutto quando perde!

ciaooo

THAKER · Messaggio da **THAKER** » 2 gen 2006, 11:07

Io voto per Birrotto, a Busto Arsizio gira la leggenda che all'ultimo dell'anno abbia ruttato Flowers of Scotland rispondendo, subito dopo, con la rullata di tamburi iniziale dell'inno di Mameli emettendo gas da altro orifizio.*
 Questo per la gioia del Cane, un poco meno della consorte, che però lo ama anche per questo!
 In più gioca pilone e seconda linea... IO VOTO X LUI
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 Pare stia anche lavorando a Land of my fathers in Milanese... ma sapremo solo a tempo debito.