A gentleman off the pitch but a bruiser on it, he was immensely skilful – and an expert in the ‘dark arts’ of the game
Benoît Dauga, who has died aged 80, was one of the greatest of French rugby union players.
A 6 ft 5 in man-mountain whose nickname was the Eiffel Tower, Dauga played mainly as a second-row forward in the 1960s and early 1970s, and was an influential member of the side that won the Five Nations Championship in 1967 and again in 1968, when France were victorious in all their matches and claimed their first grand slam in the competition. Dauga’s 63 caps between 1964 and 1972, a national record at the time, included nine appearances as captain.
He was especially masterful at the line-out, where he employed skills once learnt as a promising young basketball player. He had fine handling ability, a formidable springing jump, and was quick on his feet, scoring 11 tries for his country. But he was also well versed in the darker arts that were then part and parcel of forward play, and with his flattened nose and huge fists looked every inch the combative bruiser.
He was a gentleman off the pitch, but ferocious on it, although his size and demeanour sometimes earned him a greater reputation for foul play than he deserved.