Serge Blanco

Serge Blanco

Player information
birthday	August 31, 1958
place of birth	Caracas , Venezuela
society
society	Career ended
position	Goalkeeper , outside three quarters
Clubs as active
Years	society	Games (points)
1974-1992	Biarritz Olympique
National team
Years	National team	Games (points)
1980-1991	France	93 (233)
Status: July 1, 1992 National team October 19, 1991

Serge Blanco (born August 31, 1958 in Caracas , Venezuela ) is a former French rugby union player who played on the position of the goalkeeper or outside three quarters . With his attractive and fast style of play, he shaped the style of the French national team and is still one of the most popular European players in rugby. Even after his active career, he remained loyal to the sport through his office as President of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby , which organizes league operations in Blancos home country.

Player career

Blanco was born in Venezuela, his father's homeland, but grew up in the French city of Biarritz . In 1974 he joined the local club Biarritz Olympique and stayed with it until the end of his career. However, it was not granted to him to win a national title. In its last season, the team reached the final, but lost to the RC Toulon with 14:19.

In 1980, Blanco first ran for the French national team when they met South Africa . He was also in the squad seven years later when the French were invited to the first World Cup . In the semifinals, Blanco decided the game against Australia by trying just before the end of the game, which went to France at 30:24. In the final they lost to the hosts from New Zealand . The successful performance of the team and Blancos' outstanding performance during the tournament are among the highlights of his career.

In the run-up to the World Cup, France had won the Grand Slam at the Five Nations twice, in 1981 and 1987 . At the 1991 World Cup , Blanco was the captain of the national team and led them to the quarter-finals, in which they were eliminated by England . This was also Serge Blanco's last international match. In a total of 93 games for France, he made 38 attempts, more than any other Frenchman has achieved.

Blanco was best known for his extraordinary attacks from his own half, which made him famous and ensured an attractive game for the whole team. Although he was a smoker, he was one of the fastest players of his time. New Zealander Christian Cullen was considered one of the few who could play in a similar way. In 1997, Blanco was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame .

Functionary career

After his career he took over the office of president at his hometown club Biarritz. Under his leadership, the club became French champions in 2002 and 2006. He was then appointed President of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), but was still employed in administrative work at Biarritz. In June 2008 he announced his resignation as President of the LNR. The reason he gave was that he needed more time for his company and for new tasks. Blanco owns three hotels and its own sportswear brand.

In March 2009, Blanco suffered a heart attack and had to undergo an operation. He was given stents to protect the arteries from re-occlusion.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Serge Blanco va quitter la présidence de la Ligue nationale de rugby. liberation.fr, June 23, 2008, accessed March 10, 2009 . 
2. ↑ Biarritz: Serge Blanco opéré avec succès d'une angioplastie. lepoint.fr, March 10, 2009, accessed on March 10, 2009 . 

See also

• List of rugby union players with the most international matches
• List of rugby union players with the most international attempts

Web links

• National team statistics
• Profile at the International Rugby Hall of Fame
• Interview at Planet Rugby