# French Rugby Mourns Cléa Menier, 17, With Weekend Tributes

Source: SportsBriefly (https://sportsbriefly.com)
Canonical URL: https://sportsbriefly.com/en/rugby/french-rugby-mourns-clea-menier-17-with-weekend-tributes-2026-10-24-1ah5ber
Language: en
Published: 2026-10-24T03:10:46.488+00:00
Updated: 2026-10-24T03:10:46.561089+00:00

> A minute of applause will be observed before every amateur and professional match in France this weekend in memory of 17-year-old Cléa Menier, who died on Wednesday from injuries sustained in a youth match — tributes agreed with her grieving family.

## TL;DR
- Cléa Menier, 17, died on Wednesday from injuries sustained in a youth match for Union du Bassin Marmandais on Saturday.
- A minute of applause will be observed before every amateur and professional rugby match in France this weekend.
- The France women's team will wear black armbands for Saturday's Test against New Zealand.
- The nationwide tribute was decided in agreement with Cléa's family, FFR president Florian Grill announced.
- Her father told Le Parisien the family holds no anger and revealed she donated her organs, saving several children.

## Key points
- Cléa Menier, a 17-year-old back-row forward registered with Union du Bassin Marmandais, died on Wednesday, October 21 at Pellegrin Hospital in Bordeaux after an on-field accident during her team's under-18 match against Agen Agglo Rugby the previous Saturday at Stade Georges-Dartiailh in Marmande.
- Neither the club nor the FFR has officially detailed the nature of her injuries; French media reported a head impact followed by cardiac arrest, with medics restoring cardiac activity on the pitch before transport.
- FFR president Florian Grill announced on Friday a nationwide tribute in agreement with the family: a minute of applause before kick-off of every amateur match this weekend, extended to the professional game with the support of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby.
- The France women's team will wear black armbands for Saturday's Test against the Black Ferns in New Zealand (3:05pm NZ time / 4:05am French time).
- The FFR said it was deeply shaken, set up a psychological support cell for her teammates, coaches and club, and promised every effort to understand the circumstances of the accident.
- Her father Johann Ménier told Le Parisien the family has no anger toward anyone and that Cléa had chosen to donate her organs, saving several children.

PARIS — French rugby will fall silent this weekend in memory of Cléa Menier, the 17-year-old player whose death has shaken the sport from the grassroots to the national team. A minute of applause will be observed before every amateur and professional match played in France, and the France women's team will wear black armbands for their Test against New Zealand on Saturday — tributes decided in agreement with the teenager's grieving family.

Menier played in the back row for Union du Bassin Marmandais, the Lot-et-Garonne club in southwestern France where she had come through the youth ranks. She was 17, an under-18 player with the love of the game written into her weekends — the kind of teenager on whose shoulders local clubs are built.

![France and New Zealand players battle at the breakdown during a women's Test](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792811439569-tnf2lo-rugby-inside1-2026-10-24-morning.jpg)

Last Saturday, her team faced Agen Agglo Rugby at the Stade Georges-Dartiailh in Marmande. During the match, Menier was involved in what her club described only as an accident. According to French media reports, she suffered a violent head impact followed by a cardiac arrest early in the second half; medics on the pitch managed to restore cardiac activity before she was transported to Pellegrin Hospital in Bordeaux. Neither the club nor the French Rugby Federation has officially detailed the nature of her injuries.

On Wednesday, October 21, she died from her injuries. The club announced the news in a statement of devastating simplicity: "It is with immense sadness and indescribable pain that Union du Bassin Marmandais learned of the death of Cléa." The message paid tribute to the emergency services who fought to save her, and spoke of the teammates, coaches and friends who "had the privilege of knowing her and sharing their passion for rugby with her." "This is a terrible ordeal for our club," it said. "We will get through it together — united, standing in solidarity, and looking after one another."

![France women's players attacking during a Six Nations match against Wales](https://dcwdppdscydjemfvownz.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/api/1792811443054-bdi4t2-rugby-inside2-2026-10-24-morning.webp)

The French Rugby Federation responded the same day, saying the whole rugby family had been deeply shaken, and pledged its full support to Menier's family, her loved ones, her teammates and her coaches. The federation also promised that "every effort will be made to understand the circumstances surrounding this accident" — and put a psychological support cell in place for those touched by the tragedy: her teammates, her coaches, her club.

On Friday, FFR president Florian Grill announced the nationwide tribute from the federation's headquarters at Marcoussis, a decision taken in agreement with Cléa's family. A minute of applause will be observed before kick-off of every amateur match played this weekend across France; with the backing of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, the professional game — from the Top 14 to the Pro D2 — will join in. Thousands of kilometres away in New Zealand, the France women's national team will carry the mourning with them onto the pitch: the Bleues will wear black armbands for Saturday's Test against the Black Ferns, which kicks off at 3:05pm New Zealand time — 4:05am in France. Several members of the squad come from the Lot-et-Garonne themselves, a region now at the heart of the country's grief.

In an interview with Le Parisien, her father Johann Ménier spoke with a dignity that has moved the whole country. There is no question of seeking culprits, he said: "We have no anger toward anyone. I am sure Cléa flew off to the stars without anger." He revealed that his daughter had chosen to be an organ donor — a decision that has saved several children — and said the family wants to keep making her shine, as the federation put it in its tribute.

"French rugby is deeply shaken by the passing of 17-year-old Cléa," the federation said in Friday's statement. "To honor her memory and to express support and solidarity with her family, loved ones, teammates, and club, the French Rugby Federation — in agreement with Cléa's family — has decided to pay tribute to her this weekend across all rugby pitches in France."

For the grassroots clubs who will stand together on Saturday morning, the minute of applause is more than ritual. Youth rugby in France counts hundreds of thousands of licensed players; the bond between a village club and its young players is the sport's foundation. This weekend, that foundation aches. The questions about how such a tragedy can happen will demand answers in the weeks to come — the federation has promised to shed full light on the circumstances — but the time now is for remembrance. "This weekend, the entire French rugby community will stand united to honor her memory," the FFR said, "and offer its support to her family and loved ones."

Mentions: Cléa Menier, Union du Bassin Marmandais, Agen Agglo Rugby, Stade Georges-Dartiailh, Marmande, Pellegrin Hospital, French Rugby Federation, Florian Grill, Ligue Nationale de Rugby, France women's national team, Black Ferns, New Zealand, Johann Ménier

## Sources
- [nbcsports.com](https://www.nbcsports.com/rugby/news/french-rugby-mourns-death-of-17-year-old-player-clea-menier-with-tributes-at-weekend-games)
- [ffr.fr](https://www.ffr.fr/actualites/federation/le-rugby-francais-uni-pour-rendre-hommage-a-clea)
- [lefigaro.fr](https://www.lefigaro.fr/sports/rugby/deces-de-clea-17-ans-la-federation-francaise-de-rugby-annonce-un-hommage-national-20261023)