His grandfather was a blacksmith, his father graveled the paths of the Ossau valley, was born to him on April 1, in 1932, with the genes of a tough defender and a fighter, from those early years of rugby in Arudy.
He asserted himself on all terrains until he reached the tricolor cape at 24 years old.
Holder during the victorious Tour of the XV of France in South Africa in 1958, from which he emerged marked for life by apartheid, Moncla wore the blue jersey 31 times, including 18 as captain, at a time when the Tricolores reigned over Europe.
He thus won three consecutive Five Nations Tournaments (1959, 1960, 1961), the last two without losing a match (3 wins, 1 draw each time).
But it was during the first, in 1959, that he became a legend.
In an open scrum, Moncla kicks the buttocks of a repeat English pillar in an offside position, making Twickenham Stadium roar.
"Solidarity"
"With the English, it has always been harsh but correct: a few slaps, a kick to Bendon's ass but no scandal ...", he said later.
In February 1961, Moncla was at the head of the Blues during one of the fiercest shocks in history against these same Springboks, on tour in Europe, which ended with the improbable score of 0-0.
In France, his career was divided between Racing, where he conquered Brennus in 1959, then in Pau, where he did the same in 1964. He remained attached to the Section, where he trained the juniors and which he also chaired from 1979 to 1985.
The third line wing François Moncla (center), during the test match between France and South Africa in Cape Town, July 31, 1958 STF INTERCONTINENTALE / AFP / Archives
A committed leftist, this assiduous reader of L'Humanité who has spent his entire professional life at EDF has campaigned for the CGT and the Communist Party.
"After all that I have lived, I believe in the solidarity of men. Help each other to access a better life," said Moncla, who was 82 years old on a list of the Left Front during the municipal elections in Pau in 2014.
© 2021 AFP