Benoît August

Benoît August

Benoît August (born 20 December 1976 in Mont-de-Marsan, Landes) is a French former rugby union footballer, who played for US Dax, Stade Français Paris and Biarritz Olympique and won a single cup for France. He is one of only a handful of players to have won four consecutive French Championship titles, doing so with two different clubs and since retiring as a player has held senior coaching and executive roles, including president, general manager and sporting director of US Dax.

Early life

August was born in Mont-de-Marsan in the Landes, the second of six children, though it was in Dax, some 50km away, that he had his first experience of Rugby.[1] A physically slight child he turned to other sports for a time before returning to rugby and committing to it more seriously.[1]

Playing career

US Dax 1998-2001

August made his senior debut for US Dax at the age of 21. Days later, his father died suddenly.[1] He said he had to learn to build his career in his father's absence, and quickly established himself as a first team regular, becoming one of the club's captains and earning selection for the France A side.[2]

Stade Français 2001-2004

In 2001 he was recruited to Stade Français by president Max Guazzini.[1] His first season in Paris was difficult as he adjusted to the level of the club competing at the top of the table; in his second season he shared the hooker role with Mathieu Blin and won his first French championship beating Toulouse in the final.[1] Stade Français retained the title the following season, giving August back-to-back championships.[3]

Biarritz Olympique 2004-2013

August signed for Biarritz Olympique in 2004, returning to the south west of France.[1] He won two further French titles with the club, in 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, taking his run to four consecutive championships, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, the first two with Stade Français and the last two with Biarritz Olympique.[4] He became captain of Biarritz Olympique from the start of the 2006-07 season.[3][5] He earned his sole cup for France during the 2007 Six Nations Championship starting in France's 32–21 win over Wales on 24 February 2007.[6][7] France went on to win the championship that year. It remained his only Test appearance. August reached two Heineken Cup finals with Biarritz, in 2006 and 2010, and after recovering from a serious knee injury returned at the age of 35 in 2011 to help the club win the European Challenge Cup in 2012.[8] Biarritz announced in early 2013 that August, then 36, would retire at the end of the season, he chose to play his final matches so his last would be against his former club Stade Français.[9]

Over 15 years of career he played 237 French championship matches and 65 European cup fixtures, including 62 in the Heineken Cup and won four Brennus shields (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) and the 2012 Challenge Cup.[10][11][12][13]

Post playing career

After retiring, August worked as a television rugby consultant before becoming Biarritz Olympique's forwards coach in 2014, and later took a coaching and management role at US Tyrosse.[1] He returned to US Dax, initially as an adviser to club president Gilbert Ponteins during the 2018-19 season, following the club's relegation Fédérale 1.[14][15] In June 2019 he succeeded Ponteins as president of US Dax, taking charge of a club with a budget of around €2 million and the stated objective returning to Pro. D2.[16][17] During his presidency the club rebuilt its budget and squad around a policy of promoting young players while working to restore the team to the professional rank. August later became general manager of US Dax, overseeing the club's promotion campaign to Pro. D2. in 2023.[18][19][20]

Personal life

August lives on the Basque coast and has four sons. He has said he remains in regular contact with his former Biarritz teammates.[1][2]

Honours

France Stade Français

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "#123 - Benoît August, avancer librement - La vie au long cours | La Cravate". Ausha. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Paroles d'Ex - Benoît August : « Je me demandais si j'avais fait le bon choix en quittant Paris... »". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Fiche de Benoit August (sans club), l'actu le palmares et les stats de Benoit August". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Préface. Histoire et vie quotidienne", Pour une histoire du quotidien au XIXe siècle en Nivernais, De Gruyter Mouton, pp. V–XXIV, 31 December 1977, retrieved 18 August 2026
  5. ↑ "August : "Le doublé ? Pas une utopie"'". rugbyrama.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  6. ↑ Stodter, Anna (20 March 2017). "Why the Six Nations rugby tournament should resist kicking Italy into touch". doi.org. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  7. ↑ AFP (13 April 2013). "Biarritz hooker August to retire". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "Benoît August, le talonneur international du BO met fin à sa carrière". France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine (in French). 13 April 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Biarritz: August annonce sa retraite". rugbyrama.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  10. ↑ AFP (13 April 2013). "Biarritz hooker August to retire". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Benoît August, le talonneur international du BO met fin à sa carrière". France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine (in French). 13 April 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Le Tour de Midi Olympique". rugbyrama.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Benetton Push Biarritz Hard". European Professional Club Rugby Stats Archive. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Dax : le changement dans la continuité". rugbyrama.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "L'US Dax dément les rumeurs de départ de Benoit August - ICI". ici.fr (in French). 27 March 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Fédérale 1 : « S'il faut y aller, Dax ira ! », assure le président Benoît August". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  17. ↑ Rédaction, La (24 December 2020). "Benoit August – US Dax : « nous avons structuré le club autour des jeunes et en restant fidèle à l'image historique. »". Branchez Rugby (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "August : "Je crois que le sportif est allé plus vite que le projet"". rugbyrama.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "La carte blanche de Benoît August (Dax) : « Je sens un vrai engouement »". rugbyrama.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "Dax et Gufflet présentent leurs ambitions". rugbyrama.fr (in French). Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  21. ↑ "STADE DE FRANCE, SAINT-DENIS, 7 JUIN 2003". lnr.fr. 10 January 2005. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  22. ↑ "CHAMPION DES CHAMPIONS DU TOP 14: STADE FRANÇAIS 2004". rmcsport.bfmtv.com. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
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