Julien MALZIEU

Biog of Julien MALZIEU :

In the nine years since Malzieu first came onto the scene, the (still) young 27-year-old winger has already gone through several transformations. “I didn’t know what the future held when I arrived at Clermont in 2001,” he declared in 2007 when everything was going well. Malzieu finished the season with his star in the ascendant, having been voted best player in the European Challenge Cup victory, with a tally of nine tries in the Top 14 and an appearance in the starting line-up for the Championship final defeat to Stade Français to his name. He had already worn the French shirt - although that of the sevens team, a turning point in his career. During the period spent with the little-followed sevens squad, far from the Clermont comfort zone, the exceptionally gifted but easy-going Malzieu came to understand the importance of hard work, improving his balance, speed and reading of the game. He was ready for the next stage: the arrival of Vern Cotter in Auvergne (summer 2006) and the confidence the Kiwi placed in him.

His rise was meteoric. Malzieu became a regular in the starting line-up on the opposite wing to the imposing Rougerie. International honours followed not long after for the tall, rangy (1.93m, 96kg) winger who contributed all over the pitch, hard in contact, often turning the ball over. On hearing of his first selection, for the 2008 Six Nations tournament - the first of the Lièvremont era - Julien Malzieu announced that he was “gobsmacked”, but he was named three times in the starting line-up nonetheless. Then, by the time he had taken all this in, he discovered the real meaning of the word “competition” at Clermont. Another phenomenon, Napolioni Nalaga (18 tries in the Top 14 that season), had burst onto the scene. ASM reached the final and Cotter chose to do without Malzieu’s services…  

Although he was third pick at Clermont, Lièvremont selected him again in November 2008 (three starts) and for the following Six Nations tournament, in which he played all five matches, three in the starting line-up and twice as replacement for the two Toulouse wingers, Heymans and Médard. Between the victory against Wales at the Stade de France on the Friday evening and the “crunch” at Twickenham two weeks later, Malzieu played in the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai, “bonnet up, warning lights showing red“. Worn out from playing too much, his body gave up: plantar fasciitis and a damaged meniscus leading to an end of season and second successive Championship final in the stands (the third defeat in a row for the club), and the French tour of Australia spent in front of the television… Five months of inactivity and a long road to recovery in perspective. “The 20,000 km service”, as he called it.

The first half of 2010 sounded the return of Malzieu. Although often in the pecking order behind Palisson and Andreu, two more rivals for the same position, Malzieu nevertheless played his part in the Grand Slam (four times on the team sheet, one start). Taking advantage of his captain at Clermont’s move to the centre, Malzieu was one of the starting wingers in ASM’s French Championship victory (at last!). And then he was whisked away on tour with les Bleus, leaving Clerc, Rougerie and Andreu to confront the Springboks before earning his sixteenth cap in the match against Argentina (41-13 defeat). Then, in November, despite a good start to the season for his club, Malzieu was passed over by Lièvremont. Will the door to the French team remain shut in 2011? Up until the start of December 2010 Malzieu had scored four tries for France, ten in the European cup (21 matches) and thirty-one in the Top 14.