Full name Dimitri Yachvili
Born
September 19, 1980, Brive-la-Gaillarde
Current age 43 years 232 days
Major teams Barbarians, Biarritz, Gloucester Rugby, France
Position Scrum-half
Height
6 ft 0 in
Weight 187 lb
|
Span | Mat | Start | Sub | Pts | Tries | Conv | Pens | Drop | Won | Lost | Draw | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
All Tests | 2002-2012 | 61 | 35 | 26 | 373 | 2 | 51 | 85 | 2 | 37 | 23 | 1 | 61.47 |
Five/Six Nations | 2003-2012 | 29 | 16 | 13 | 217 | 2 | 30 | 49 | 0 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 72.41 |
IRB Rugby World Cup | 2003-2011 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 50 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 55.55 |
Test debut | France v Canada at Stade de France, Nov 23, 2002 match details |
Last Test | Wales v France at Millennium Stadium, Mar 17, 2012 match details |
Test Statsguru | Main menu | Career summary | Match list | Most points | Most tries | Tournament list |
Team | Span | Mat | Start | Sub | Pts | Tries | Conv | Pens | Drop | Won | Lost | Draw | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
All matches | 2001-2002 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 55.55 |
Gloucester Rugby | 2001-2002 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 55.55 |
Yachvili made his France debut against Canada in 2002 and has been a near-constant presence on the international stage but has had to operate in the shadow of a number of rival No.9s throughout his career including Fabien Galthie, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Pierre Mignoni and more recently Morgan Parra.
The son of former French international hooker Michel Yachvili, who won 19 caps for his country before becoming the forwards coach at Brive, and the brother of Georgian international Gregoire, Yachvili learnt his trade with Brive before opting for a move to English side Gloucester in 2001 but returned back across the Channel the following year to sign for Biarritz where he has made his home ever since.
His form was rewarded with a place in France's squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup but it was the 2004 Six Nations that proved to be something of a turning point for the assured scrum-half with an equally impressive kicking game. Drafted in for the clash with England when Elissalde got injured, he silenced the Twickenham crowd by kicking France to the Grand Slam - ending the game with a personal haul of 19 points.
Yachvili also shared in France's success in the 2006 and 2007 Six Nations and as a loyal servant of his Basque club he tasted domestic glory when his side captured the Bouclier du Brennus in 2005 and 2006 but he was on the losing side when Munster got the better of their French rivals in the 2006 Heineken Cup Final.
He was handed the captaincy of his country against South Africa in 2005 but there was disappointment when he was omitted from coach Bernard Laporte's squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup on home soil.
Yachvili continued to be Biarritz's influential half-back in the following cuople of years while continuing his battle with Parra for a scrum-half berth in the national side. Lievremont favoured the Clermont half-back over Yachvili during the 2010 Six Nations - where France ended the competition as Grand Slam winners.
However, come the 2011 Six Nations - Yachvili was firmly back in the starting reckoning and began two of their five matches. The scrum-half ended the tournament having enjoyed mixed fortunes - starting against England - which ended in defeat for Les Bleus - and against Ireland.
French coach Marc Lievremont kept everyone guessing up until the start of the 2011 World Cup over who would start for France in their tournament opener with Yachvili and Parra both starting one warm-up Test each in the run-up to the showpiece competition.
Once at the World Cup, Lievremont made the surprising decision to start Yachvili at scrum-half and Parra at fly-half - instead of Francois Trinh-Duc. The partnership guided Les Bleus to the final of the tournament but it was Trinh-Duc who finished the game in the half-backs.
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