 Jean Prat (left) as captain of France at the final of the European Cup in 1954, with Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1923-08-01)1 August 1923 Lourdes, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 25 February 2003(2003-02-25) (aged 79) Tarbes, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 84 kg (185 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative | Maurice Prat (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Jean Prat (1 August 1923 – 25 February 2005) was a Frenchrugby union footballer. He played as a flanker. He was awarded theLégion d'honneur in 1959. He is considered one of the best French rugby players of all time and was inducted into both theInternational Rugby Hall of Fame andIRB Hall of Fame, in 2001 and 2011[1] respectively. His younger brother,Maurice Prat, also appeared for France, with the pair appearing together at international level on a number of occasions.
Prat was born inLourdes,Midi-Pyrénées. He played all his club career forFC Lourdes, from 1944–45 to 1958–59. He won 6 titles of theFrench Championship, in 1947–48, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57 and 1957–58, two titles of theCoupe de France, in 1950 and 1951, and three titles of theChallenge Yves du Manoir, in 1953, 1954 and 1956.
He had 51 caps forFrance, from 1945 to 1955, scoring 9 tries, 27 conversions, 15 penalties and 6 drop goals, 144 points on aggregate. He won his first cap for France in a 21–9 win over the British Army at theParc des Princes, inParis, on 1 January 1945. Prat kicked two conversions that helped France to win the game. Prat then played for France in matches against a British Empire XV, a non-capped Wales XV and a 'Kiwis' team. Prat then played in the1947 Five Nations Championship. After playing in the first match of the subsequent Five Nations, he played in a Test againstAustralia, which France won by 13–6. Prat then played in the rest of theFive Nations Championship.
Following the 1949 Five Nations Prat played in two Tests againstArgentina. Prat played in the 1950, 1951 and 1952 Five Nations, and then played in a match against a touringSpringboks team, which South Africa won 25–3. He ran on for his first match as captain of France in the opening match of the 1954 Five Nations againstScotland. One of his most famous moments came in 1954 when Prat scored a barn-stormingtry against theAll Blacks, which saw France win the match 3–0. He continued to captain France to their first ever Five Nations victory, sharing the championship withWales andEngland.
He won the1952 Rugby Union European Cup and the1954 Rugby Union European Cup, the second time as the captain of the French side.
His final season of Test rugby was in 1955. He played his final Five Nations match against Wales during the Five Nations atStade Colombes in Paris. Having previously defeated England, Ireland and Scotland in the tournament, a win over the Welsh would have seen France capture their first Grand Slam and outright championship. He played his last match in the 24–0 win againstItaly, inGrenoble, at 10 April 1955, in a tour. His leadership and skills laid the foundations for France to emerge fully on the international stage.[2]
He was the first head coach ofFrance, from 1963 to 1968. He won the1967 Five Nations Championship.
Prat died atTarbes in 2005.
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| Preceded by None | French National Rugby Union Coach 1963–1968 | Succeeded by |
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