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Sebastien Chabal was known as ‘Caveman’ and played 62 times for France during a successful career - AFP/Alberto Pizzoli
Sebastian Chabal, the former France and Sale Sharks forward, has revealed that he cannot remember “a single second of a rugby match I played”.
Chabal, who played for France between 2000 and 2011 and won the Premiership with Sale, revealed he had no recollection of any part of his playing career in an interview on the YouTube channel Legend this week.
“I don’t remember a single second of a rugby match I played,” Chabal said. “I don’t remember a single one of the 62 Marseillaises [French national anthem] I experienced.”
Chabal did not use the word “concussion” in the interview, but went on to add that he did not remember the birth of his daughter.
“What would you do, my memory won’t return,” he added. “I have a few childhood memories. I think it’s because people told me about them. I don’t have this memory of past moments.
“When I talk about it at home with my wife, I tell her that I have the impression that it wasn’t me who played rugby. And since I [have] always thought I was a bit of an impostor, I got there a bit by chance. With the fact of not remembering, I have the impression that it wasn’t me.”
Chabal, a fierce back-row forward, became famous for his iconic “Caveman” look throughout his career and ferocious tackles, winning admirers across the global game. He also played for Bourgoin, Racing 92 and Lyon.
His comments follow the ongoing concussion sport group action claim against rugby’s authorities – featuring 394 former union and 177 former league players including the England World Cup winners Phil Vickery and Steve Thompson – who have suffered brain injuries playing the sport, including early onset dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The next case management hearing will take place in late July, although a trial is still some way off from taking place despite the legal action first being announced in December 2020. Similar legal action in the US resulted in the NFL paying out more than £665 million to its former players.
Addressing those claims, Chabal added: “I don’t talk about it, because it’s just my business, but there are quite a few [legal] actions that are carried out by former players, in teams, because we’ve taken a hit on the head.”
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