From 10 a.m., relatives of the Dominici family or simple rugby fans took turns in front of the church of Hyères to express their condolences and show their sympathy to the child of the country by writing a note on the registers made available by the town hall.
Hundreds of people, sometimes wearing a scarf from the Stade Français with which the player was five times champion of France or the Toulon Rugby Club where he began his professional career (1993-1997), gathered in front of the doors of the church , framed for the occasion by two huge portraits of the former player who died suddenly on November 24 at the age of 48.
Like a symbol, the rain invited itself to the arrival of the coffin.
Several rounds of applause then rang out before the 400 people present rushed into the church where "Domi" had been baptized.
Inside, the president of the French Rugby Federation Bernard Laporte, ex-rugby player Yann Delaigue and Toulon player Sergio Parisse took turns speaking.
"
Domi, you have been celebrated since last week all over the world, from Auckland to Twickenam
"
Bernard Laporte
Always very moved, his voice trembling, Bernard Laporte greeted "a fighter, a" whole man, sincere, authentic and true ", who is" celebrated since last week around the world, from Auckland to Twickenam ".
The president of the federation remembered the "malicious" and "lively" look of the one he considered "his friend and his brother", before associating "the world of rugby with his pain".
For his part, Yann Delaigue recounted the first trip to the island of Embiez off Toulon during his first call in Blue: “with you, everything was exaggerated.
We weren't good, we were the best.
We weren't laughing, we were crying with laughter.
We didn't like it, we were passionate ”.
The former president of the Stade Français, Max Guazzini, then read a passage from the bible, Sergio Parisse, a former Parisian now player on the harbor, said the "chance to know him" and his pride "to have spent part of his life with him ”, before ending his speech with words in Italian in the direction of Christophe Dominici's two daughters, Mya and Chiara.
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After blessing the coffin, several players including Olivier Magne, Franck Comba, Patrice Teisseire, Richard Dourthe or even Thierry Louvet carried the coffin to the exit where applause resounded, again lulled by the sound of "I will survive ”by Gloria Gaynor.
The coffin finally left around 5 p.m. in the cemetery of La Ritorte, where Christophe Dominici was buried in the family vault, alongside his older sister, Pascale, who disappeared in a road accident in 1986, when he was only 14 years old.
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