Bernard Laporte | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Vice-Chairman ofWorld Rugby | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 12 May 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Bill Beaumont | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Agustín Pichot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President ofFrench Rugby Federation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 3 December 2016 – 27 January 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Pierre Camou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Florian Grill | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Secretary of State for Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 22 October 2007 – 23 June 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Nicolas Sarkozy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | François Fillon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister | Roselyne Bachelot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Rama Yade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1964-01-07)7 January 1964 (age 62) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby player | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bernard Laporte (born 1 July 1964) is arugby player, coach and former French Secretary of State for Sport. From 1999 to 2007, Laporte was the head coach of theFrance national team. In 2011, he became the head coach atToulon, afterPhilippe Saint-André became the new national team coach.[1] He was previously the coach atStade Français. He was the first fully professional head coach of France. Laporte was president of theFrench Rugby Federation from December 2016 to January 2023.[2]
Laporte played rugby union at scrum-half and won the French Under-21 championship withUA Gaillac in 1983 and then again in 1984, in which he was captain. Seven years later he captained Begles-Bordeaux to the French championship (won the title in 1991).
Laporte's first coaching role was in the early 1990s, when he was assistant coach of the Stade Bordelais University club between 1993 and 1995. He took over at Stade Français in 1995, who were in the third division at the time. He took them right up to the first division in three seasons, winning the respective championships. The club were crowned champions of France in 1998, when they defeatedUSA Perpignan 34–7 atStade de France.
Laporte took over as head coach of the national team at the end of 1999. His first task was the2000 Six Nations Championship, the first of its format, since the addition ofItaly. Laporte drew on the experience of the1999 Rugby World Cup, where France had been losing finalists (toAustralia). Laporte namedFabien Pelous as captain. In France's first game under Laporte, they defeatedWales 36–3. France ended up winning three of their five matches which saw them finish second, behind winnerEngland.
Laporte became renowned for his commitment to improving discipline; he even suspended captain Fabien Pelous once for foul play.[3] Laporte said that discipline was not only important for team morale, but also for promoting the game of rugby:
I am trying to make them understand that these acts are inadmissible... If a player goes into the sinbin, his teammates have to fill in for him. I wanted [Pelous] to realise that by being yellow-carded he simply punishes his own team. ... We are talking about the future of our sport and if we want rugby to become more successful and more media friendly, we have to take a hard line on violence.[3]
The following season, France fell to fifth place in the2001 Six Nations Championship, winning only two of their five matches; againstScotland andItaly. However, the following year, Laporte took France to victory in the2002 Six Nations Championship – not only winning the tournament, but completing agrand slam.
After the massive success at the 2002 Six Nations, France fell to third place in thesubsequent tournament, though they still won three of their five matches. France finished top of their pool at the2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia winning all four of their pool matches. France then defeatedIreland 43–21 in the quarter-finals to move into the semi-finals. They were defeated 24–7 by England in the semi-final and moved on to the third/fourth place play-off, which they lost to theAll Blacks, and thus finished fourth at the World Cup.
After the strong showing at the World Cup, France reproduced their Six Nations success of 2002 at the2004 Six Nations Championship. France won all five of their matches to win the tournament and complete another grand slam. France finished second, behind Wales in the2005 Six Nations Championship, and the following year at the2006 tournament, France won again, getting their third Six Nations trophy under Laporte.
After eight years in charge of the French national team, he resigned as coach following the2007 Rugby World Cup. In his finalSix Nations Championship in charge of France, his team won four out of their five games and emerged champions after edging outIreland on points difference.[4]
Note: World Rankings Column shows the World Ranking France was placed at on the following Monday after each of their matches
| Opponent | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | Win ratio (%) | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 014 | 128 | 172 |
 Australia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 043 | 153 | 158 |
 Canada | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 132 | 22 |
 England | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 050 | 246 | 296 |
 Fiji | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 138 | 28 |
 Georgia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 64 | 7 |
 Ireland | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 070 | 288 | 177 |
 Italy | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 315 | 117 |
 Japan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 51 | 29 |
 Namibia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 87 | 10 |
 New Zealand | 12 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 017 | 197 | 436 |
 Romania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 185 | 42 |
 Scotland | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 089 | 264 | 92 |
 South Africa | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 063 | 202 | 166 |
 Tonga | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 43 | 8 |
 United States | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 80 | 45 |
 Wales | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 078 | 275 | 174 |
| TOTAL | 98 | 62 | 2 | 34 | 063 | 2848 | 1979 |
It was announced on 19 June 2007, that after the Rugby World Cup in October, Laporte would be named Secretary of State for Youth and Sports in the government of François Fillon. He was appointed on 22 October 2007 as Secretary of State for Sports only.
He was involved in the disputes between theAmaury Sport Organisation, organizers of theTour de France, theFrench Cycling Federation and theUnion Cycliste Internationale.[5][6][7]
Laporte left this cabinet office on 23 June 2009, and was succeeded byRama Yade.
Laporte returned to rugby coaching atBayonne in 2010, but lasted only two months. Laporte was then involved with Stade Français until being signed by Toulon.[1]
Toulon achieved enormous success under his coaching, including winning theHeineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup in2012–13,2013–14 and2014–15.
Laporte was elected president of theFrench Rugby Federation in late 2016.[8] In May 2017, he joined theWorld Rugby executive committee, taking the seat left vacant by his predecessorPierre Camou. He was elected during the general assembly of World Rugby in Kyoto, at the expense of the president of the South African Federation, Mark Alexander.[9]
In July 2019, Laporte was elected vice-president of the Six Nations tournament committee.[10] In 2020 he ran unopposed for vice-chairman of World Rugby, replacingAgustín Pichot and taking office from 12 May 2020 alongside the re-elected chairmanBill Beaumont.[11]
In December 2022 a French court found Laporte guilty of corruption, fining him €75,000 and sentencing him to two years' imprisonment (suspended). He has stated that he will "self-suspend" from rugby administration, but that he will appeal.[12]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | IRB International Coach of the Year 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | French National Rugby Union Coach 1999–2007 | Succeeded by |
