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Eric Melville

1961 – 2017

South Africa-born French rugby union player

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About Eric Melville

Lived 1961 – 2017 (aged 55). Eric Melville was a South African and French rugby union player.

Eric Melville (27 June 1961 — 19 June 2017) was a French rugby union international.

Melville, born and raised in Cape Town, moved to France in 1980 soon after finishing school. He spent his first six years of French rugby at Landes-based clubs Hagetmau and Stade Montois, then in 1986 began a successful period with RC Toulon, where he was a member of two top division championship-winning teams.

A giant back-row forward, Melville acquired French nationality and in 1990 became the first player of South African origin to be capped for the national team, debuting off the bench against Ireland in the 1990 Five Nations. He played all three Tests on the 1990 tour of Australia and later that year featured in a home Test against the All Blacks, before gaining his sixth and final cap in 1991 on a tour of the United States.

Melville served stints as head coach of French clubs FCS Rumilly, SO Ugine-Albertville, RO Grasse and Stade Dijonnais between 2003 and 2012. He coached Switzerland at the time of his death from a heart attack in 2017.

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Important facts

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Eric Melville's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Eric Melville?

South Africa-born French rugby union player

When was Eric Melville born?

Eric Melville was born on 27 June 1961 in Cape Town.

When did Eric Melville die?

Eric Melville died on 18 June 2017 in La Garde.

What was Eric Melville's occupation?

Eric Melville was a rugby union player.

What nationality was Eric Melville?

Eric Melville was South African and French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Eric Melville

· Wikidata: Q3591268

· DBpedia: Eric Melville

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Eric Melville. https://biography.guide/eric-melville/

MLA: "Eric Melville." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/eric-melville/.

Chicago: "Eric Melville." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/eric-melville/.

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