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It’s almost impossible to distill the career of soon-to-retire rugby legend Thierry Dusautoir into just a few key moments – but James Harrington gives it a go.
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Last week, Thierry Dusautoir finally revealed the inevitable. He has decided to retire from all rugby at the end of the season.
The 35-year-old Toulouse captain bows out after a 17-year top-flight career, having won three French championships with the club, another two with Biarritz, a European Cup, and three Six Nations titles, including a Grand Slam in 2010.
He won 80 French caps and captained his country a record 56 times, leading them – against all the odds – to the 2011 World Cup final in New Zealand. Despite losing that match, he was named World Player of the Year.
Here are 11 key dates in the career of ‘The Dark Destroyer’.
June 10, 2006
Five years after making his top-flight debut for Bordeaux, Dusautoir lifted the Bouclier de Brennus for the first time in the very last of his 53 matches for Biarritz. Ironically, the now-faded Basque Country giants, who are ProD2 also-rans these days, beat Toulouse, the club Dusautoir was moving to and would represent for the rest of his club career.
It was not his first French championship. Biarritz lifted the title in 2005 – and, although Dusautoir was not part of the post-season Brennus-winning squad, he officially has two championship medals courtesy of his two years in the far south-west of France.
June 17, 2006
A week after winning the French championship, Dusautoir scored a try on his international debut as Les Bleus beat Romania 62–14 at the Cotroceni Stadium in Bucharest. He would also play in France’s second and final summer match that year, a victory over South Africa in Cape Town.
October 6, 2007
New Zealanders will remember this date well. The World Cup quarterfinal between France and the All Blacks at the Millennium Stadium is one of those fixed points in rugby space and time. From the moment the French fronted up to the Haka, this was Dusautoir’s match. In front of a crowd of nearly 72,000, he scored the Les Bleus’ first try as they roared back from behind in the second half to stun the perennial pre-tournament favourites – and his personal tally of 38 tackles was a remarkable fraction of the 200 or so the French made in that game. No wonder it won him a World Player of the Year nomination. Lost in the mists of history is the fact that he was not part of France’s 30-man squad for the tournament. He was called up as a replacement for the injured Elvis Vermeulen.
June 28, 2008
Two seasons after joining the most successful club in French rugby history, Dusautoir was the part of the team that won the French championship – his third. He and Toulouse would repeat the trick again in 2011 and 2012, when he captained the club from the Rose City and would have the honour of being the first to lift the heavy shield awarded to the champions of France.
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June 13, 2009
Victories over the All Blacks are to be savoured – victories over the All Blacks in New Zealand, doubly so. This was the date Dusautoir led France to a 27-22 win in Dunedin. It was also the first time he was named captain of the national side.
May 22, 2010
2010 was an impressive year for the player adoring Toulouse fans have lovingly nicknamed ‘Titi’. On March 20, he captained France to their first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2004. Two months later, he led his club to their fourth and most recent European Cup title. Fate, in its twisted manner, would have its way – Toulouse edged Dusautoir’s former club Biarritz 21-19 to lift the Heineken Cup.
October 23, 2011
New Zealand versus France in that World Cup final at Eden Park. France had been in disarray throughout the tournament, losing to Tonga and New Zealand in the group phase. But, by hook, crook, and probably Dusautoir’s iron will, they reached the final. He scored the French try – his last for his country – and made 22 tackles in an epic personal performance. But, he alone could not beat New Zealand. It is probably scant consolation, but Dusautoir later became only the second Frenchman to be named World Player of the Year.
June 24, 2014
Another bittersweet memory. The flanker overtook Fabien Pelous as France’s longest-serving captain, when he led Les Bleus out for the 43rd time in Sydney, Australia, for the final Test of France’s 2014 summer tour. The match ended in a 39-19 defeat for the tourists. Dustautoir would captain his country 13 more times.
October 17, 2015
The last time Dusautoir would lead his country was also the last time he graced an international rugby field. It is unfortunate that he would mark his 80th cap and his 56th outing as captain with a humiliation, as France lost their World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand 62-13. Even he would not escape the recriminations that followed. Less than two months later, he announced his retirement from international rugby.
April 19, 2017
Dusautoir announced he would retire from all rugby at the end of the current Top 14 season.
May 6, 2017
Barring injury or the cruellest selection decision from coach Ugo Mola, May 6 will be the last time the rugby world will see Thierry Dusautoir in a Toulouse shirt. Sadly, and in much the same way as his international career ended in an undeserved failure, the twilight of the French rugby legend’s domestic career has coincided with the fading of Toulouse’s star. His season – and career – will end with a dead rubber match against Bayonne at Stade Ernest Wallon. Which is a shame. But, though he will not get to sign off, as great rival Richie McCaw, Brian O’Driscoll and Jonny Wilkinson all did, with one more trophy in his collection, you can bet that the Toulouse fans will give him the rousing send-off he truly deserves.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Did the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
1 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
16 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
16 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
4 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
3 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
16 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
16 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to comments