It is a dream test, the one that brought Christophe Dominici into the legend of the XV of France. The Blues presented themselves “as at the slaughterhouse” against New Zealand in the words of Fabien Pelous. On the lawn of Twickenham in October 31, 1999, the Habs have yet upset the forecasts and won this semi-final of the World Cup (43-31). A match that changed the career and life of Christophe Dominici, then 27 years old.
Led 24-10 in the 46th minute of play, the XV of France had launched the comeback thanks to the foot of Titou Lamaison to return to two points of the Blacks. The moment chosen by Fabien Galthié to kick over.
“And there is this bouncing ball … Him, he rushes over like a donkey, he must be the only one to believe he can have it, remembers Emile Ntamack, former international holder that day. We see this little blonde head appear alone in the middle of the All Blacks. When he catches the ball I know it’s good and he will go to the end. “
Launched at full speed along the sideline, Dominici deposits the New Zealand defense, takes advantage of a favorable rebound to eliminate his last two opponents and goes to register the test which gives the Habs the advantage for the first time. An allegory of “French flair” of which Christophe Dominici was an incarnation.
“I was like on a cloud, I had wings, remembered the French n ° 11 in our columns in 2006. An hour and a half before the kick-off, Pierre Césano, my kinesiologist, now deceased, predicted that I would make a great match: Let your body speak, you will be as comfortable as an eel in water. They are rocks, don’t play on their qualities, be the lightning, be the lightning that strikes in a unique place. »
“I rushed in and got the rebound. More favorable, you cannot. There are days when balloons come to you like words of love, when nothing can happen to you, Dominici continued poetically. I couldn’t pass by, up there, there was someone watching over me. “A reference to his sister Pascale, tragically disappeared when he was a teenager:” She pushed me, I was in a state of grace “.
