Nicolas
Mas

Nicolas Mas was a hard-hitting French prop who was affectionately nicknamed ‘le bus’. Discover more about his career with rugby gurus RugbyPass.

Nicolas Mas Bio

Nicolas Mas is a former French rugby player who made 85 appearances as a prop for Les Bleus. Known for his powerful tackling and big frame, he was affectionately nicknamed ‘le bus’. Nicolas Mas was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.

Born 25 May 1980, Nicolas Mas began his professional rugby career in 1999, when he signed to play for Perpignan. Between then and 2013, he made a whopping 268 appearances for the French outfit. During this time, he won the French Top 14 once in 2009 and finished as a runner-up in the competition twice (2004 and 2010). In 2003, he also finished as a runner-up in the Heineken Champions Cup.

In 2013, Nicolas Mas left Perpignan and signed for fellow French Top 14 side Montpellier. Prior to his retirement in 2016, he made 48 appearances for the club and played a role as they captured the European Rugby Challenge Cup in 2016.

However, although he enjoyed a distinguished domestic career, Nicolas Mas is undoubtedly best known for his time on the international stage. Between 2003 and 2015, he made 85 appearances for the France Rugby national team, and even had the honour of representing his country in multiple editions of the Rugby World Cup.

His time on the international stage was also filled with highlights. In 2010, Nicolas Mas was part of the French team that won the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Championship, and in 2011, he was an integral part of the French side that finished as runners-up at the Rugby World Cup. He played all 80 minutes of the final as the All Blacks edged out Les Bleus.

Nicolas Mas retired from all forms of rugby in 2016.