Jean-Pierre Elissalde
Encyclopedia
Jean-Pierre Élissalde is a French
rugby union
former player and a current coach.
A native of La Rochelle
, a seaport city on the Bay of Biscay
, Jean-Pierre Élissalde played, at scrum half
, five times for France in 1980 and 1981. He coached at Atlantique Stade Rochelais
and AS Béziers Hérault
.
He was appointed technical advisor in March 2005 and was nominated the first foreign head coach of Japan national rugby union team
in July. His contract was dissolved by the Japan Rugby Football Union
(JRFU) in September 2006, after Élissalde was assigned with Aviron Bayonnais
of France. Élissalde refused to give up when JRFU asked him to do so in order to concentrate on the Japan head coach position. On 27 September 2006, JRFU dissolved his contract with him, resulting in his assistant coach, Osamu Ota
, taking over as caretaker manager.
Jean-Pierre Élissalde is the father of current French scrum half Jean-Baptiste Élissalde
, and his father-in-law Laurent Bidart has also represented 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...
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...
former player and a current coach.
A native of La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, a seaport city on the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, Jean-Pierre Élissalde played, at scrum half
Rugby union positions
In the game rugby union, there are fifteen players on each team, comprising eight forwards and seven backs . Depending upon the competition, there may be up to eight replacement players. Early games consisted primarily of forwards that attacked plus a handful of "tends" that played back in defence...
, five times for France in 1980 and 1981. He coached at Atlantique Stade Rochelais
Atlantique Stade Rochelais
Stade Rochelais is a French rugby union club who compete in the Pro D2. They are often known simply as La Rochelle.They were founded in 1898 and play at Stade Marcel-Deflandre . They wear yellow and black...
and AS Béziers Hérault
AS Béziers Hérault
Association Sportive Béziers Hérault, often referred to by rugby media simply by its location of Béziers, is a French rugby union club preparing to return to the second tier of the country's professional rugby system, Pro D2. They earned promotion as 2011 Fédérale 1 champions...
.
He was appointed technical advisor in March 2005 and was nominated the first foreign head coach of Japan national rugby union team
Japan national rugby union team
The Japan national rugby union team represent Japan in international rugby union competitions. Japan is traditionally the strongest rugby union power in Asia but has both enjoyed and endured mixed results against non-Asian teams over the years...
in July. His contract was dissolved by the Japan Rugby Football Union
Japan Rugby Football Union
The Japan Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in Japan. It was formed November 30, 1926 and is currently one of only two federations from a "Tier 2" country with a seat on the International Rugby Board executive council, the sport's international governing body...
(JRFU) in September 2006, after Élissalde was assigned with Aviron Bayonnais
Aviron Bayonnais
Aviron Bayonnais is a French rugby union club from Bayonne in Pyrénées-Atlantiques that currently competes in the top level of the French league system, in the Top 14 competition...
of France. Élissalde refused to give up when JRFU asked him to do so in order to concentrate on the Japan head coach position. On 27 September 2006, JRFU dissolved his contract with him, resulting in his assistant coach, Osamu Ota
Osamu Ota
Osamu Ota is a former Japanese rugby union player and a coach. He played as a prop.-Career:Ota had 27 caps for Japan, from 1986 to 1995, scoring a try, 5 points in aggregate. He played twice at the Rugby World Cup, being a totalist in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, with three games, and at the 1995...
, taking over as caretaker manager.
Jean-Pierre Élissalde is the father of current French scrum half 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:...
, and his father-in-law Laurent Bidart has also represented France.