Philippe Sella

Stand: May 14, 1998 National: June 22, 1995

Philippe Sella ( born February 14, 1962 in Tonneins ) is a former French rugby union player who played at the position of the inner three- quarter. He was for several years most capped player in the world, was able to overtake him until Jason Leonard.

Career

Sella went with 20 years for French club SU Agen, where he played for 13 years. He twice won the French Cup and the Challenge Yves du Manoir. With the end of the World Cup in 1995 and the consequent professionalization of the sport, he moved to England to the Saracens, where he ended his career in 1998. There he played with the Australian Michael Lynagh, one of the top scorers of the sport. The team around these two international superstars managed to win the Tetley 's Bitter Cup in 1998 until today, the most important title of the Saracens.

His national team debut came in 1982 against Romania as the outer three-quarters. Soon after, he moved to his regular position inside three quarters and could take advantage of his speed, agility and his game intelligence there. He also had excellent fit and Tackle abilities so his time he is considered one of the most versatile and dangerous players. Reach him, in 111 international matches 30 attempts, so he is behind Serge Blanco and Philippe Saint -André to rank three of the French experiment statistics. He participated in the first World Championships in 1987 and at the 1991 and 1995 World Cup, where he took a total of five trials. With the French national team he reached next to the second place at the World Cup in 1987 six victories in the Five Nations, including a Grand Slam.

Sella was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame and in 2008 into the IRB Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2008 he took over the management of the U20 national team of France, with which he retired at the World Championships in the first round against Wales, by an attempt in stoppage time.