Etienne Falgoux

Étienne Falgoux gave up skiing because of the injury risk. He was training as an instructor in the Sancy, competing in Auvergne and the Alps, and worked out that a blown knee on a mountain would end the other thing he was good at. He then spent a rugby career rupturing things anyway: a posterior cruciate in 2015, a hamstring in 2021, a biceps in 2024, another biceps in 2025.

Note on his current club: Falgoux is still listed in Clermont‘s squad data. He was told in late October 2025 that he would not be retained, and signed for Nissa Rugby, newly promoted to Pro D2, until 2028.

Loosehead prop, 1.83m and 105kg, and until this summer he had never played for anyone else. 215 matches for Clermont between 2014 and 2026 — 172 in the Top 14, 32 in Europe’s top competition, 11 in the Challenge Cup. Eight tries.

Born in Issoire, raised in Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise, he began at Rugby Club Montaigut Besse and spent a year at US Issoire. ASM spotted him at sixteen. Brive beat his side 10-6 in the 2011 Crabos final, and he joined the academy proper at nineteen, taking a history degree at Blaise-Pascal alongside it.

2016-17 made him. A first start against Stade Français, first European appearances against Exeter and Ulster, the bench for the European final Saracens won 28-17, and the bench again three weeks later as Clermont beat Toulon 22-17 for the championship. He was France’s replacement loosehead in the 2019 Six Nations win over Scotland, and finished with three caps.

By 2019-20 he was unambiguously first choice, fifteen starts in sixteen games before Covid ended it. Then Peni Ravai arrived, then Giorgi Beria and Daniel Bibi Biziwu came through, and the rest of it was a fight. He was made vice-captain in 2023-24 alongside Baptiste Jauneau and captained the side regularly once Irae Simone got hurt.

Twelve games in his last season, four of them starts. At Nissa he rejoins Jamie Cudmore, his old teammate, now their forwards coach.