A former France centre and a leading figure at Stade Bagnérais, Roland Bertranne has died at the age of 75. Capped 69 times between 1971 and 1981, he remains one of the symbols of French rugby’s “golden era”.

Born in the Hautes-Pyrénées, Bertranne took part in all of France’s great battles through the 1970s. Nicknamed “the little raging bull” by the commentator Roger Couderc, he established himself as a tireless player, renowned for his toughness and his courage. Between October 1973 and March 1979 he strung together 46 consecutive caps, a record that still stands in the France jersey.

In the France jersey he played his part in two historic Grand Slams, in 1977 and then in 1981, and featured in matches that have become legendary, notably the victory over New Zealand in 1973. Loyal to the club that produced him, Stade Bagnérais, he wore no colours other than those of the Pyrenees, apart from a one-year spell at Toulon.

His death has prompted a wave of emotion in the rugby world. On social media, former team-mates and France figures paid tribute to the memory of an unassuming but essential player, who marked his era with his attitude and his sense of the collective. “He was a rock, always there for the group“, Jean-Pierre Rives, the emblematic captain of that golden generation, told L’Équipe.

Roland Bertranne leaves behind the image of a modest man and an exemplary player, who for a decade embodied the commitment and the passion of French rugby.