to bring him back into the fold, especially after fellow hooker William Servat was ruled out of the autumn schedule with a neck injury. He added 26 more France Test caps, 15 of them as captain, before announcing his second and final international retirement in 2008. Ibañez served as France captain for the 2007 Six Nations, taking over from the injured Fabien Pelous for France's first two matches, and then being named captain for the remainder of the competition after Pelous' injury ruled him out of France's remaining three fixtures. Also in the 2007 Six Nations Ibañez became the first player to score a try in the 82,300 capacity Croke Park after the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) modified their Rule 42 in 2005 which banned foreign sports from being played in Croke Park. Under the modified rule both the Ireland national rugby union team and Republic of Ireland national football team were allowed to play their home games in Croke Park while renovations were carried out on Lansdowne Road (reopened as the Aviva Stadium). After Pelous' injury troubles continued, Ibañez was named as France captain for the 2007 World Cup, with Pelous as his unofficial vice-captain. France went on to finish fourth in the 2007 World Cup. Ibañez announced his second retirement from Test rugby on 10 January 2008. In 2020, after a career in club rugby management, and following the retirement of coach Bernard Laporte, Ibañez was appointed as Team Manager for France in a joint appointment with Fabien Galthié as Head Coach and Selector to lead the side into the 2023 World Cup to be staged in France. Media work Ibanez has published two books and has been a regular guest in the BBC's Six Nations studio. He also comments on the Six Nations for the French channel France 2. Personal life In his spare time he enjoys fly-fishing and extreme sports like rock climbing and kayaking. See also List of rugby union test caps leaders Notes and references External links Wasps profile 1973 births Living people Sportspeople from Landes (department) French people of Spanish descent French rugby union players People from Dax, Landes Saracens F.C. players Wasps RFC players Barbarian F.C. players Rugby union hookers France international rugby union players French rugby union coaches Union Bordeaux Bègles coaches Castres Olympique players US Dax players USA Perpignan players