Benoît August

Benoît August (born 20 December 1976 in Mont-de-Marsan, Landes) is a French former rugby union footballer, who played for US Dax, Stade Français Paris and Biarritz Olympique and won a single cup for France. He is one of only a handful of players to have won four consecutive French Championship titles, doing so with two different clubs and since retiring as a player has held senior coaching and executive roles, including president, general manager and sporting director of US Dax.

Early life August was born in Mont-de-Marsan in the Landes, the second of six children, though it was in Dax, some 50km away, that he had his first experience of Rugby. A physically slight child he turned to other sports for a time before returning to rugby and committing to it more seriously.

Stade Français 2001-2004 In 2001 he was recruited to Stade Français by president Max Guazzini.

Biarritz Olympique 2004-2013 August signed for Biarritz Olympique in 2004, returning to the south west of France. He became captain of Biarritz Olympique from the start of the 2006-07 season. He earned his sole cup for France during the 2007 Six Nations Championship starting in France's 32–21 win over Wales on 24 February 2007. France went on to win the championship that year. It remained his only Test appearance. August reached two Heineken Cup finals with Biarritz, in 2006 and 2010, and after recovering from a serious knee injury returned at the age of 35 in 2011 to help the club win the European Challenge Cup in 2012. Biarritz announced in early 2013 that August, then 36, would retire at the end of the season, he chose to play his final matches so his last would be against his former club Stade Français.

Over 15 years of career he played 237 French championship matches and 65 European cup fixtures, including 62 in the Heineken Cup and won four Brennus shields (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) and the 2012 Challenge Cup.

Post playing career After retiring, August worked as a television rugby consultant before becoming Biarritz Olympique's forwards coach in 2014, and later took a coaching and management role at US Tyrosse. In June 2019 he succeeded Ponteins as president of US Dax, taking charge of a club with a budget of around €2 million and the stated objective returning to Pro. D2. During his presidency the club rebuilt its budget and squad around a policy of promoting young players while working to restore the team to the professional rank. August later became general manager of US Dax, overseeing the club's promotion campaign to Pro. D2. in 2023.

Personal life August lives on the Basque coast and has four sons. He has said he remains in regular contact with his former Biarritz teammates.