Hundreds gather for 'warrior' Dominici's funeral

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Around 400 people congregated in Hyeres on Friday for the funeral of former France wing Christophe Dominici.

Dominici was found dead aged 48 in a park near Paris on November 24 and French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte was among those to speak at the service by the Mediterranean coast.

Laporte, who coached Dominici with les Bleus and Stade Francais, emotionally described him as a "warrior" and said his fame stretched across the world.

Stade Francais clubmate Sergio Parisse, the former Italy captain, finished his speech with remarks in Italian to Dominici's two daughters.

Former France fly-half Yann Delaigue, who played with Dominici for nearby Toulon in the 1990s, paid tribute to his friend.

"With you everything was exaggerated. We weren't good, we were the best. We didn't just laugh, we cried with laughter. We didn't like things, we were passionate about things," he said.

Mourners wore Stade Francais and Toulon scarves and wrote in a condolences book outside the service where two large photos of Dominici were placed.

His coffin was carried out of the church where he had been christened by those close to him including former France internationals Olivier Magne, Richard Dourthe and Franck Combat before the private interment in his family tomb.