François Trinh-Duc


François Trinh-Duc is a French rugby union player for RC Toulonnais in France's top division of rugby union, the Top 14. Trinh-Duc's regular position is at fly-half or inside centre.

Biography

Trinh-Duc was born in Montpellier.
He started playing rugby at the age of 4 at the Pic-Saint-Loup rugby school near his native city. There, he played with his future Montpellier team-mate Fulgence Ouedraogo. They both entered the club's youth teams at "Cadet" level and are said to be inseparable friends.
With fellow Montpelliérains Louis Picamoles and Julien Tomas, he is part of a quartet of home-grown talents embodying the success of the Montpellier Hérault Rugby Club's attempt at "shaking up the old order" of French rugby in the Septimanie terroir which had always been historical rival Béziers's stronghold.
He was called up by Marc Lièvremont to the France squad for the 2008 Six Nations Championship, and has played in all of France's matches in the competition to date.
Trinh-Duc's drop goal helped France beat England 19–12 at Eden Park in quarter final in 2011 Rugby World Cup. He came on as a substitute for the injured Morgan Parra in the 23rd minute of the final against New Zealand. He set in motion the move that led to Thierry Dusautoir's try in the 47th minute and converted the try to make the score 8–7. With 15 minutes remaining and the score still at 8–7, France were awarded a penalty to put them in front for the first time, but Trinh-Duc's 48m penalty attempt was wide off the mark and the All Blacks went on to win the final.

Personal life

Trinh-Duc was noted as one of the first ever rugby players of Vietnamese origin to play for the French national side. His paternal grandfather, Trịnh Đức Nhiên, was born in French Indochina, migrated to France during the First Indochina War, and settled near Agen in Lot-et-Garonne. Nhien later married an Italian woman; Trinh-Duc's father, Philippe, being the result of this union.

International tries

#DateVenueOpponentResult Competition
1.5 July 2008Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia
10–40
Test Match
2.21 March 2009Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
50–8
Six Nations Championship
3.13 June 2009Carisbrook, Dunedin, New Zealand
27–22
Test Match
4.21 November 2009Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
43–5
Test Match
5.21 November 2009Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
43–5
Test Match
6.26 February 2010Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
26–20
Six Nations Championship
7.20 August 2011Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
26–22
Test Match
8.10 September 2011North Harbour Stadium, North Shore City, New Zealand
47–21
2011 Rugby World Cup
9.24 September 2011Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
17–37
2011 Rugby World Cup

Footnotes