Dominici, so strong on pitch, so fragile off
The Rugby Paper|November 29, 2020
“‘Domi’ had been fighting his demons virtually since childhood”
PETER JACKSON
Dominici, so strong on pitch, so fragile off

Shortly before three o’clock last Tuesday afternoon, Christophe Dominici climbed some 20 metres onto the roof of a disused army barracks and fell to his death.

That he chose a historic building on the edge of a national park famous for its panoramic views of Paris below seemed somehow to make his apparent suicide all the more tragic given the natural beauty of the setting. The Domaine National de Saint-Cloud has been a French treasure since the Middle Ages.

It is famous for Marie Antoinette’s rose garden which she made more than 200 years ago during her reign as the last Queen of France; for Napoleon’s Palace destroyed during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and the Sully Barracks built some 50 years earlier by King Charles X.

What drove one of the best-loved French players of the professional era to end it all at the age of 48 will probably never be known and yet some who knew him as a troubled soul from the days of his pomp feared for him.

‘Domi’ had been fighting his demons virtually since childhood. As the tributes flowed from friends and former teammates, one word seemed to keep recurring: fragility.

“He was very confident but also very fragile,’’ said Max Guazzini, the flamboyant former owner of the revolutionary Parisian club Stade Francais with whom Dominici won five Top 14 titles. “We must remember the 1999 World Cup semi-final against the All Blacks.”

Esta historia es de la edición November 29, 2020 de The Rugby Paper.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición November 29, 2020 de The Rugby Paper.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE RUGBY PAPERVer todo
Unbeaten Lymm put the Tykes on a leash
The Rugby Paper

Unbeaten Lymm put the Tykes on a leash

LYMM maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign, taking the major scalp of Leeds Tykes and ending the visitors' unblemished start.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
Dramatic late win boosts leaders
The Rugby Paper

Dramatic late win boosts leaders

A LAST-minute converted try saw Tonbridge Juddians snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at Barnes.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
England need to be more consistent
The Rugby Paper

England need to be more consistent

I WAS at last week's game against the All Blacks and as much as I enjoyed my first visit to the stadium since the Six Nations, I couldn't help noticing a different attitude of those in control of the stadium's notification system which puts out messages to the crowd.

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
Cuthbert: Wales have to deliver
The Rugby Paper

Cuthbert: Wales have to deliver

ALEX Cuthbert says the pressure on Wales is huge ahead of their opening Autumn Nations Series game against Fiji today.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
Anyanwu heads the list of star attractions
The Rugby Paper

Anyanwu heads the list of star attractions

TOP 14 transfer speculation is always thoroughly entertaining, and this season has so far been no exception.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
Goldthorp can challenge Kildunne for No.15 spot
The Rugby Paper

Goldthorp can challenge Kildunne for No.15 spot

LOUGHBOROUGH Lightning head coach Nathan Smith is backing Fran Goldthorp to compete with Ellie Kildunne, right, for England's No.15 jersey.

time-read
1 min  |
November 10, 2024
Four-try David calls the shots for Bears
The Rugby Paper

Four-try David calls the shots for Bears

MILLIE David helped Bristol blow Leicester away after scoring four of their 10 tries at Welford Road.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
Scott-Young keen to follow his father
The Rugby Paper

Scott-Young keen to follow his father

TYPICAL of most Australians, Scott-Young Angus has fairly sunny disposition and the loose forward is confident that Saints can soon start to turn things around on the road.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
When value for money is not part of the deal
The Rugby Paper

When value for money is not part of the deal

ENGLAND'S bench strategy against New Zealand - goodbye \"bomb squad\", hello \"squib squad\"-has been investigated, psychoanalysed, convicted on all charges and mercilessly sentenced by the entire rugby world and its maiden aunt, so there is no earthly point in returning to the scene of the crime.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 10, 2024
'I want to prove my worth to Bath'
The Rugby Paper

'I want to prove my worth to Bath'

OUT-OF-FAVOUR winger RuBath aridh McConnochie is hoping to use the Premiership Cup to lay down a challenge to Johann van Graan and make his selection claims impossible to ignore.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 10, 2024