Sébastien Chabal, a former All Blacks rugby coach and ex-angling French national team player, has for the first time publicly discussed his entire career. During an interview with the Legend YouTube channel, he revealed that multiple brain injuries have caused his memory of rugby matches to disappear.
Chabal previously represented France at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in the quarter-finals and faced New Zealand's Byron Kelleher during a match. However, he admitted to having no memory of any specific game or moment during his career:
"I have never remembered a single moment of any match I played, nor have I remembered playing 62 French Super League matches and singing the national anthem at the start of each game."
Despite this, Chabal did not mention brain injuries or discuss his struggles with memory loss. He also admitted to forgetting his daughter's birthdate.
In 2023, a legal team composed of over 300 former rugby players sued the rugby league and governing bodies, claiming that the sport failed to protect player health and safety, leading to brain injuries and neurodegenerative diseases.
Last year, Tom Robinson publicly shared hisconcussion experience before retiring from playing.