Olivier
Magne

Olivier Magne was a French flanker who won the Grand Slam in the Five Nations Championship four times.

Olivier Magne Bio

Olivier Magne was a talismanic French flanker who won four Grand Slams in the Five Nations Championship. Since his playing career came to an end, he’s moved into coaching. Olivier Magne was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.

Known particularly for his speed and his handling in open play, Olivier Magne was a force in domestic rugby. His career began in rugby’s amateur era, when he represented Stade Aurillacois (1979-1992) and US Dax, where he stayed until 1997. Following this, he played for several other sides in rugby’s professional era, including CA Brive (1997-99), Montferrand (1999-2005) and London Irish (2005-07).

However, although he enjoyed a distinguished domestic career, Olivier Magne is undoubtedly best known for his appearances for France between 1997 and 2007. In a decade-long international career, he was capped an impressive 89 times and helped France win the Grand Slam at the Five Nations Championship (now the Six Nations Championship) four times. To date, he remains only one of two French forwards to have participated in four Grand Slam-winning teams.

In addition, during his international career, Olivier Magne also played a vital role at the 1999 and 2003 Rugby World Cups, where France reached the final and the semi-final respectively. However, when he wasn’t selected for the French squad in 2007, he called time on his international career.

When his contract with London Irish finished in 2007, Olivier Magne chose to return to France and took up a career in coaching. Since retirement, he’s enjoyed stints as a coach with Brive, the Greek national team and the France U20s.