Fabien Pelous

About Fabien Pelous

Born in Toulouse, Fabien Pelous is a former lock or number eight for France. He comes from a local farming family and trained as a physiotherapist at the CHU of Toulouse. After spending two seasons at US Dax, he joined Stade Toulousain in 1997, where he spent his entire career. During his career, he notably served as captain of the French national team and Stade Toulousain. He holds the record for the most selections in the French national team with 118 caps and the record for the number of captaincies (42 armbands) between 1995 and 2007.

Fabien Pelous has the most extensive record in French rugby:

World Cup: 2nd in 1999, 4th in 2003, 4th in 2007.

Grand Slam: 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004

Winner of the Six Nations Championship: 2006

French Champion: 1999, 2001, 2008; Finalist in 2003, 2006

Winner of the European Cup: 2003, 2005; Finalist in 2004, 2008

Winner of the French Cup: 1998

Winner of the Champions Trophy: 2001

Among other distinctions he has received, Fabien Pelous was named French Player of the Year in 1999; he holds the European record for the number of national selections and the number of consecutive participations in the European Cup (12 editions between 1998 and 2009). He has defeated all the major rugby nations at least once.

Since the end of his playing career, Fabien Pelous has managed the French national team’s reserve, obtained a helicopter pilot’s license, and earned a Master’s degree in General Manager of a professional sports club from the University of Limoges, and is a rugby consultant for Canal+. He received the Legion of Honor in 2011 and in 2012 he coached and led the French U20 team during the World Cup.