Mickaël Capelli (born 18 March 1997)[1] is a French rugby union player who plays as a lock for Pau in the Top 14 competition and the France national under-20 team. He made his Top 14 debut with his club in October 2016.
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| Date of birth | 18 March 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Échirolles, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 126 kg (19 st 12 lb; 278 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing career
editEarly career
editMickaël Capelli was born on 18 March 1997, in Échirolles, Isère. He debuted his rugby career at Voreppe Rugby Club before moving on to Rugby Club Chartreuse Néron. In 2009, he signed for SO Voiron before ultimately joining the FC Grenoble training center in 2012.[2]
Club career
editFC Grenoble
editMickaël Capelli began his professional rugby career at FC Grenoble Rugby from 2016 to 2020. He debuted in June 2016 against Stade Toulousain and earned his first Top 14 start in October 2016. During the 2016–17 Top 14 season, he played 10 matches as well as 6 EPCR Challenge Cup matches. He played in the 2017 World Rugby Under 20 Championship.[3]
After Grenoble was relegated to Pro D2, Capelli scored his first professional try in September 2017. He suffered injuries but returned to play, contributing to Grenoble's matches in both Pro D2 and promotion playoffs. Despite injuries, he renewed his contract until 2021.[4]
Montpellier HR
editCapelli joined Montpellier Hérault Rugby in 2020, signing until 2023.[5] He started the 2020–21 Top 14 season but faced injury setbacks. In the 2021–22 season, Montpellier reached the Top 14 final, where Capelli played as a substitute, contributing to the team's victory. He played twelve matches that season, including the playoffs, and scored a try. Despite his contributions, he opted to leave Montpellier after two seasons.[6]
Section Paloise
editIn June 2022, Capelli signed a three-year contract with Section Paloise.[7] During the 2022–23 Top 14 season, he played nine matches and two EPCR Challenge Cup matches. However, his season was marred by repeated concussions, leading to a significant absence. In the 2023–24 season, Capelli continued to be a key player for Pau, playing in nine matches before suffering a season-ending knee injury in January 2024.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Mickael Capelli". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Compétitions & Résultats - Fédération Française de Rugby". Compétitions - FFR (in French). Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Section Paloise : le 2e ligne Mickaël Capelli complète le recrutement". La République des Pyrénées (in French). 17 June 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Mickael CAPELLI | Section Paloise | LNR - Site Officiel". Ligue Nationale de Rugby (in French). Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Top 14 : Mickaël Capelli (Grenoble) signe à Montpellier". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Top 14/Section Paloise. Six choses à savoir sur le deuxième ligne Mickaël Capelli". SudOuest.fr (in French). 1 September 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Mickaël Capelli rejoint la Section pour 3 saisons". www.section-paloise.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Mickael CAPELLI - Player statistics - It's rugby". www.itsrugby.co.uk. Retrieved 8 April 2024.