Hello, I'mChristian Califano
- Athlete in after career
- Sport: Rugby
- Location: 13 - Bouches-du-Rhône
- Spoken languages:
Christian Califano started at the Toulon Rugby Club of Daniel Herrero, then moved to the Berry Sports Union in Bourges for a few months at the age of 19. Then he played for ten years at the Stade Toulousain, from 1991. He immediately played in the A team, initially alongside Claude Portolan. On January 7, 1996, he played with the Stade Toulousain in the first -historically- final of the European Cup at Arms Park in Cardiff against Cardiff RFC. Toulouse won 21 to 18 after extra time and thus became the first European champions.
He won six French championships with his club as well as a European Cup. In 2016, the Rugbyrama site ranked him second among the 10 best players in the history of the Toulouse Stadium.
He continued his career in New Zealand (Auckland Blues), where he was the first French player to play in Super 12. On his return to Europe in 2002, he briefly resumed his place in the French team against England before playing in New Zealand
He played 69 games with the XV of France(French National Team), including eight Six Nations Tournaments, and participated in two World Cups, in 1995 and 1999.
He was the first front row player to score three tries in a test-match (against Romania in 1996).
He participated in the Dakar Rally 2009 edition which took place in Argentina (motorcycle category) but was forced to retire. He returns to the 2010 Dakar Rally, in Argentina and Chile, and finishes last in the general classification of this 2010 edition, won by his friend Cyril Despres. Finally, he took part in the Dakar for the last time in 2011 and finished 89th out of 94 motorcycles at the finish.
In 2012, four years after the end of his professional career, Christian Califano, pillar with 72 national selections, is preparing to put on his crampons again. He, indeed, took a license from Toulouse Rugby Club, a new team playing in the fourth series (Pool 1, Midi-Pyrénées).
Records
In club:
French Champion (6): 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2001
Winner of the European Cup (1): 1996
Winner of the French Cup (1): 1998
Winner of the Yves du challenge Manoir (1): 1993
In the national team:
(up to date on 26.06.07)
70 selections (+2 non off.) In the French team, former national record as a pillar (new: Sylvain Marconnet)
7 tries (35 points )
Selections by year: 3 in 1994, 13 in 1995, 9 in 1996, 10 in 1997, 4 in 1998, 9 in 1999, 9 in 2000, 7 in 2001, 3 in 2003, 2 in 2007
Grand slam: 1997, 1998
Winner of the Latin Cup: 1995, 1997
France A team: 1 selection in 2003 (Italy A)
French Barbarians: 2 selections
World Cup:
3rd in the 1995 World Cup
1995: 5 selections (Ivory Coast, Scotland , Ireland, South Africa, England)
Finalist of the 1999 World Cup
1999: 3 caps (Canada, Namibia, Fiji)