Dimitri Yachvili
Encyclopedia
Dimitri Yachvili is a French
rugby union
footballer who currently plays scrum-half for Biarritz
and France
.
Of Georgian descent, his father Michel was a French international
before him. His paternal grandfather was a Georgian
POW
during orld War II|WWII}} in France
who escaped and subsequently participated in the French Resistance
in the province of Limousin
. Dimitri's brother Grégoire chose to play for the Georgian national team
.
Yachvili made his international debut in November 2002 in a 35–3 victory against Canada
.
Since the retirement of Fabien Galthié
, Yachvili has been in and out of the French starting 15.
During the 2005 Six Nations Championship
he regained his position as the first choice scrum-half for the French national team, cementing his position with a virtuoso goal-kicking performance against England
at Twickenham
. He also captained the French national team, surrendering the captaincy permanently for the 2005 summer tour to South Africa
, which he missed through injury.
He was considered the number two scrum-half behind Jean-Baptiste Élissalde
in the French team who retired in May 2010. He is now second to Morgan Parra
in the national selection as of the 2009 Six Nations
. He was omitted from the squad for the 2007 World Cup
.
He lost his second Heineken Cup final to Stade Toulousain
in May 2010. He was also part of the losing side in the 2006 final
to Munster
at Cardiff
's Millennium Stadium
.
Yachvili was a member of the French team that finished as the runner-up
to hosts New Zealand in the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final
.
Yachvili has 2 children whom he shares with his wife, Maider Yachvili Etcheverry
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
footballer who currently plays scrum-half for Biarritz
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
and France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
.
Of Georgian descent, his father Michel was a French international
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
before him. His paternal grandfather was a Georgian
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
POW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
during orld War II|WWII}} in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
who escaped and subsequently participated in the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
in the province of Limousin
Limousin (province)
Limousin is one of the traditional provinces of France around the city of Limoges. Limousin lies in the foothills of the western edge of the Massif Central, with cold weather in the winter...
. Dimitri's brother Grégoire chose to play for the Georgian national team
Georgia national rugby union team
The Georgia national rugby union team represents Georgia in rugby union. The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try"...
.
Yachvili made his international debut in November 2002 in a 35–3 victory against Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
.
Since the retirement of Fabien Galthié
Fabien Galthié
Fabien Galthié is a French rugby union coach and former player. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played much of his club rugby for Colomiers, and later on in his career, Stade Français. Galthié won 64 caps for France, including four Rugby World Cup appearances, as well as captaining the...
, Yachvili has been in and out of the French starting 15.
During the 2005 Six Nations Championship
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
he regained his position as the first choice scrum-half for the French national team, cementing his position with a virtuoso goal-kicking performance against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
. He also captained the French national team, surrendering the captaincy permanently for the 2005 summer tour to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, which he missed through injury.
He was considered the number two scrum-half behind Jean-Baptiste Élissalde
Jean-Baptiste Élissalde
Jean-Baptiste Élissalde is a former French rugby union player, playing either as a scrum-half or as a fly-half, and current backs coach of the Stade Toulousain.-Early life:...
in the French team who retired in May 2010. He is now second to Morgan Parra
Morgan Parra
Morgan Parra is a rugby union player who plays as a Scrum half and occasionally Fly-half. He plays for Clermont Auvergne in the Top 14 after signing for them from Bourgoin....
in the national selection as of the 2009 Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
. He was omitted from the squad for the 2007 World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.
He lost his second Heineken Cup final to Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
in May 2010. He was also part of the losing side in the 2006 final
2005-06 Heineken Cup
The 2005–06 Heineken Cup was the eleventh edition of the European Heineken Cup rugby union club tournament. 24 teams from 7 different countries took part, with the opening game played on Friday October 21, 2005...
to Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
at Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
's Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
.
Yachvili was a member of the French team that finished as the runner-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...
to hosts New Zealand in the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final
2011 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2011 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match between France and New Zealand, the final match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. It was played on Sunday, 23 October 2011 at Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand, and was won 8–7 by New Zealand, who thus won the World Cup.The New Zealand All Blacks...
.
Yachvili has 2 children whom he shares with his wife, Maider Yachvili Etcheverry