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| Born | (1974-02-23)23 February 1974 (age 51) Carcassonne, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 98 kg (15 st 6 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby league | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback, Wing, Centre | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Frédéric "Freddie" Banquet is a French former professionalrugby league andrugby union footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played representative level rugby league (RL) forFrance at the1995 Rugby League World Cup and2000 Rugby League World Cup, and at club level in France and England.
FromCarcassonne, Banquet was an under-21 international for France when he joinedFeatherstone Rovers during the1994–95 Rugby Football League season. Initially signed on a one-month trial this was later extended to a long-term contract.[3]
Banquet then spent a season with theSheffield Eagles in 1996 before returning home to join new franchise,Paris Saint-Germain for 1996'sSuper League I. He played in the competition's inaugural match on 29 March 1996 when Paris Saint-Germain played the Sheffield Eagles in front of 17,873 supporters atCharlety Stadium. Paris won the match 30–24 and Banquet scored the first try in the newSuper League competition.
However, Banquet only spent one season with Paris Saint-Germain, joiningWakefield Trinity (Heritage No. 1086) in 1997.[4]
Banquet later played for theVilleneuve Leopards and was part of their side the competed in the 2000 and 2001Challenge Cups.[5] Villeneuve released Banquet to play forrugby union clubCastres Olympique in the 2001–02 season before he returned to the Leopards.[6] Banquet later played forAS Carcassonne.[7]
Banquet first representedFrance in 1994 when he was part of their 74–0 heavy defeat by theAustralia touring team during the1994 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France. In 1995 he played in four tests for France before being named in the teams1995 World Cup side.[1]
He continued to appear regularly for France throughout 1996 and 1997. In 1998 he was part of the first ever full international played in Ireland and scored, and converted, an injury-time try to give France a 24–22 victory.[8]
He was again named in France'sWorld Cup squad in 2000.[1]
Banquet was part of France'sJune–July tour to Papua New Guinea and New Zealand in 2001.[9][10] However, later in the 2001 season Banquet switched codes, joining a Frenchrugby union club.[11][12] By 2003 he had returned to rugby league and played in all three of France's matches during the2003 European Nations Cup.[1] He was part of the Frenchsevens side at the 2004World Sevens.[7]