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| Born | (1986-11-16)16 November 1986 (age 39) Toulouse, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 89 kg (14 st 0 lb; 196 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Maxime Médard (born 16 November 1986) is a former Frenchrugby union player who played his club rugby for French clubStade Toulousain inTop 14 andFrance internationally. He can play as both afull-back and on thewing and is described by assistant national team coachÉmile Ntamack as an "incredible talent" that, during the 2010–11 season, was finally "realizing his potential".[1] Medard is a two-time winner of theHeineken Cup and, in 2008, won the Top 14 for the first time. Also referred to as 'The French Wolverine.'
Médard began his rugby union career playing for local clubBlagnac as a youth. His father, Alain, had previously played for the club in the 1980s alongside his uncle Francis. In 2000, he joined Stade Toulousain and spent four years developing. Médard achieved numerous honours as a youth winning theGaudermen Challenge in three straight years from 2001 to 2003. In 2004, he made his debut with the senior team and, in the following year, turned professional. In his first year as a professional, Médard was a member of the Toulousain team that won the2004–05 Heineken Cup. Toulouse defeated league rivalsStade Français 18–12 in the final match, though Médard was not part of the team that won the final.[2] Médard burst onto the scene domestically in the 2007–08 season primarily due to injuries toVincent Clerc andClément Poitrenaud. He featured regularly in the team that won theTop 14 that season. For his efforts, he was declared the Revelation of the Year byNational Rugby League (France) (LNR). He started the 2010 Heineken Cup Final as Toulouse defeated Biarritz.[3] On 5 September 2010, Médard scored the fastest try in league history since 2005 after scoring after 18 seconds againstLa Rochelle.
Prior to playing for the senior team, Médard was a regular international at youth level. In 2005, he was a member of the under-21 team that played at the2005 Under 21 Rugby World Championship in Argentina. In the ensuing season, Médard won the2006 edition of the competition that was played on home soil. He earned his first senior capFrance in November 2008 during a test series match againstArgentina. He appeared in subsequent test matches against thePacific Islanders and theAll Blacks. Médard's positive play within the team resulted in the player earning selection to the team that participated in the2009 Six Nations Championship. In June 2009, Médard scored the late try that sealed France's first victory over the All Blacks inNew Zealand since 1994.[4]
Médard announced his retirement from rugby in 2022.[5][6]
