Jérôme Thion
Encyclopedia
Jerome Thion is a French
rugby union
footballer who currently plays for Biarritz Olympique
in the Top 14 club competition in France. Thion, one of the most hard-working and underrated locks in world rugby, has played for France
since 2003, representing them at the 2003 Rugby World Cup
in Australia
as well as captaining them in three tests in late 2005. He was also a part of the 2006 Six Nations Championship
-winning side.
Before playing rugby union
, Thion played basketball
for Entente Osny Cergy Pontoise and Pau-Orthez.
Thion's first club was AS Montferrand, where he stayed until 2001, then signing with USA Perpignan
, where he stayed for two seasons, before moving to Biarritz, his current club.
He made his debut for France
on 14 June 2003 in the first of two matches against Argentina
. Argentina won the match 10–6 at Vélez Sársfield
in Buenos Aires
. He was in the starting line-up of the subsequent test against the Pumas a week later, which was again won by Argentina, although only by one point, with the final score being 33–32.
Thion played in the 31–23 loss to the All Blacks
at Jade Stadium
in Christchurch
on June 28, as well as the 56–8 win over Romania
on August 22. Thion started for France in their last test before the 2003 Rugby World Cup
in Australia
. The game was played against England
in Marseille
, and was won by France by just one point, with the final score being 17–16. Thion was selected in France's 2003 World Cup squad. France made it to the semi-finals.
He earned international caps for France playing in the November tests against Australia
, the All Blacks and Argentina. Thion played in every match during the 2005 Six Nations Championship
, as well as a test against Australia in November. After the Australian test, Thion captained France in a test match against Canada
, which France won 50–6. Thion captained France on two more occasions that year, the 43–8 win over Tonga
and the 26–20 win over the Springboks
.
In 2006, he played every match for France during the 2006 Six Nations Championship
, which was won by France in the end. Biarritz made it to the 2005-06 Heineken Cup
final, but were defeated by Munster
. However, they went on to make it to the 2005-06 Top 14
final as well, where they beat Stade Toulousain
to become the champions of 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...
footballer who currently plays for Biarritz Olympique
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...
in the Top 14 club competition in France. Thion, one of the most hard-working and underrated locks in world rugby, has played for 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...
since 2003, representing them at the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as well as captaining them in three tests in late 2005. He was also a part of the 2006 Six Nations Championship
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
-winning side.
Before playing 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...
, Thion played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
for Entente Osny Cergy Pontoise and Pau-Orthez.
Thion's first club was AS Montferrand, where he stayed until 2001, then signing with USA Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
, where he stayed for two seasons, before moving to Biarritz, his current club.
He made his debut for 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...
on 14 June 2003 in the first of two matches against Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
. Argentina won the match 10–6 at Vélez Sársfield
Estadio José Amalfitani
The Estadio José Amalfitani is a stadium located in the Liniers neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The venue is mainly used for football matches and is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sársfield. The stadium is nicknamed El Fortín or El Fortín de Liniers...
in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. He was in the starting line-up of the subsequent test against the Pumas a week later, which was again won by Argentina, although only by one point, with the final score being 33–32.
Thion played in the 31–23 loss to the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
at Jade Stadium
Jade Stadium
Lancaster Park, formerly Jade Stadium and currently known as AMI Stadium through sponsorship rights, is a sports stadium situated in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand....
in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
on June 28, as well as the 56–8 win over Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
on August 22. Thion started for France in their last test before the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The game was played 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...
in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, and was won by France by just one point, with the final score being 17–16. Thion was selected in France's 2003 World Cup squad. France made it to the semi-finals.
He earned international caps for France playing in the November tests against Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, the All Blacks and Argentina. Thion played in every match 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...
, as well as a test against Australia in November. After the Australian test, Thion captained France in a test match 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...
, which France won 50–6. Thion captained France on two more occasions that year, the 43–8 win over Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
and the 26–20 win over the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
.
In 2006, he played every match for France during the 2006 Six Nations Championship
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
, which was won by France in the end. Biarritz made it to the 2005-06 Heineken Cup
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...
final, but were defeated by 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...
. However, they went on to make it to the 2005-06 Top 14
2005-06 Top 14
The 2005-06 Top 14 was a French domestic rugby union club competition that ran from August 2005 to June 2006.The 2005-06 season saw attendance records broken. 79,502 spectators attended the Round 9 clash between Stade Français and Stade Toulousain at the Stade de France, shattering the attendance...
final as well, where they beat 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...
to become the champions of France.
External links
- Jerome Thion on lequipe.fr
- Jerome Thion on rwc2003.com
- Jerome Thion on scrum.com
- Jerome Thion on ercrugby.com