Clinical winger Damian Penaud has made a bold prediction about his Test rugby try-scoring record for France. The 28-year-old has been feted in recent times for equalling the landmark long held by the legendary Serge Blanco.
The retired full-back scored 38 tries during his international career for France, and the 56-cap Penaud drew level with that record when scoring his 38th try against Scotland last March in the win that clinched a Six Nations Grand Slam title.
He missed his country’s recent tour to New Zealand as he was involved in the French Top 14 title, reaching the classic extra time final that Bordeaux agonisingly lost to Toulouse five weeks after they had defeated Northampton in Cardiff to win their first-ever Champions Cup title.
Penaud scored twice in that victory over the Saints, and he was also the mark in the league final. However, his try-scoring record for France was a line of questioning in the lengthy interview he gave to L’Equipe, the French sports newspaper, ahead of the coming weekend’s start to the new season.
“I will be very happy for him…”
Bordeaux are set to host La Rochelle on Saturday to begin their 2025/26 top-flight campaign, and Penaud had predicted that his record Test rugby exploits with France will be “easily” surpassed by clubmate Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
The 22-year-old has already scored 18 tries in his 19 caps, with eight of those scores coming in the 2025 Six Nations to equal the record for most tries in a single edition of the tournament. “Louis will easily beat my record,” Penaud predicted. “If he continues like this, he will score 70 tries!
“I will be very happy for him, even if he doesn’t care about records either. I admire what he does for his young age. The number of high-intensity runs, his positioning… He is good everywhere.
“I don’t care about records, he added. “What drives me is the competition, the weekend match. I get a good sense of stress and excitement from it because deep down, I love what I do.”