Sébastien Chabal

Sébastien Chabal
Date of birth (1977-12-08) 8 December 1977
Place of birthValence, France
Height1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Weight113 kg (249 lb; 17 st 11 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Number eight, Lock, Flanker
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2000–2004 Bourgoin 45 (35)
2004–2009 Sale Sharks 101 (60)
2009–2012 Racing Métro 57 (30)
2012–2014 Lyon 18 (15)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2000–2011 France 62 (30)

Sébastien Chabal (born 8 December 1977) is a French former rugby union player. He played number eight and lock for Bourgoin (1998–2004), Sale Sharks (2004–2009), Racing Métro 92 Paris (2009 – February 2012), and for the French national team.

Chabal played professionally for 16 years and won the English Premiership with Sale, and the 2007 Six Nations Championship with France. He also finished in fourth place at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He earned his first international cap on 4 March 2000 against Scotland, and represented France in 62 games.

He is known for his full beard, long hair and ferocious tackling, leading the French rugby fans to nickname him l'Homme des Cavernes (Caveman). With this look, he has a number of lucrative commercial contracts. He was one of the most popular sportsmen in France, so much that local journalists wrote about Chabalmania.