Rugby-Pioneers

French rugger, 1900

Nice rugby print taken from French sports magazine "La Vie au Grand Air", 1900.

This gentleman, Pascal Laporte, was the Captain of Bordeaux team
("SBUC"), French champion in 1899 (defeating Stade Francais 5-3 in
final). It opened a decade of undisputable leadership of the SBUC over
French rugby, whereas at the same time the Game became increasingly
popular in the South-West of France. Between 1899 and 1911, the Stade Bordelais stroke 7 champion titles and lost 5 finals (4 of them lost to the Stade
Francais...).... fairly impressive : over this period, they reached the
final every year except 1903 (when Stade Francais won to Toulouse....).

At it was technically impossible to take sporting action pictures at
this time, this guy is patiently posing for the photographer in a
studio, wearing cap, boots and knitters... and ready for a drop-goal !

By the way, there is another famous Laporte who was captain of Bordeaux in the 1990's ...
 
Technorati Tags: rugby, print, sbuc

The Moa and the Lion, 1904

Big matches tomorrow... Australia vs France and All Blacks vs Lions...
a fine transition to show this great rugby postcard, about the Lions'
tour in New Zealand in 1904, 101 years ago...

It was indeed the very first match between the All Blacks (were they
already called the "Blacks" in 1904... ? I doubt it... I will check
later on) and the British Lions. Final score 9 - 3 for the kiwis (829
to 39 as per the card is a wee bit exagerated...)

Actually, this card is not mine... I have copied it from John's fine
collection. You can see it, and many more about the 1904 tour, on his
"www.ovalballs.com" website.

Having said that : if somebody has it for sale, please make an offer !



Back to the present, I am afraid that bookmakers do not really support
the Northern teams : Australia is 1.20 to 1, and the Blacks are 1.14 to
1... the only way to get some payback is to hope for a draw...

PS : I don't have PayTV, I won't see the matches, grrr....

 

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard, allblacks, lions

All Blacks 1905

Another print from the famous 1905 All Blacks team, taken from "The Graphic", Dec.6th 1905.

Four days earlier, the All Blacks crushed England at Crystal Palace 0-15 (five tries to nil...).

For stats lovers, I have a full report here

I have already posted about this team here and there, as well as their match against France on January 1st, 1906 in Paris.
 

Technorati Tags: rugby, print, allblacks

Boy's Own Paper, November 1925

       
A colorfull rugby cover from this famous boys' magazine... I got this one from John (don't forget to visit his website www.ovalballs.com ) who sent it to me some time ago...

This November 1925 issue contains this great print with all  rugby caps .

Actually, Boys' Own Paper also issued other fine rugby prints like this one (caps again) or that one (jerseys).

If you are aware of other rugby prints, please drop me a mail !
 

Technorati Tags: rugby, print

Russian roosters...

In my previous post, I was commenting on the Gallic cock that French
teams are wearing on their chest... according to my own reasearch, it
is proven that roosters already had an interest in Rugby as early as
the beginning of the XXth century... as per this Russian rugby
postcard....


Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard

Marcel Communeau, Stade Francais, 1911

This gentleman should be ranked very high in the "Hall of Fame" of French rugby history...

On January 2nd 1911, France Captain Marcel Communeau led his team to a 16-15 victory against Scotland, which is recorded to be the very first victory of the "Equipe de France" on the international theatre... that's why he was portrayed in this newspaper a few days later... (actually, it was the first victory of a French national team against a British one, whatever sport is considered...)

I have already posted about France first international match against New Zealand in 1906 (Communeau was there already, but as a rookie...). It then took five years to celebrate a first success, paving the way to France becoming a serious and respected contendant in the nascent V nations championship... Having said that, WW1 put a hard stop on French progresses (between 1914 and 1918, Stade Francais lost 168 young sportsmen, whereas 225 got wounded... Communeau for instance crashed twice with his plane, but was luckier than his fellow Roland Garros...) so that the following victory only happened nine years later in april 1920, in Dublin.

Marcel Communeau was a true athlete and a strong personality : a brilliant student (ranked "major" from Ecole Centrale in 1904), then a successful industrialist. He started playing Rugby at Stade Francais in 1904 as a forward (mostly 3rd row or lock, but also sometimes prop
or hooker...) and quickly became one of the "playmakers" of the team...

He enyoyed 21 caps with France between 1906 and 1913 (a long lasting record), being elected Captain 13 times between 1908 and 1911.

As a Captain, he is the one who later requested to wear the gallic cock on France jerseys... some might have prefered more prestigious symbols, but the "rooster" is still there (and not only for rugby.. ) almost 100 years later... (on my print, his jerseys shows the Olympics rings... like here ...).

PS : I have found a detailed report about this France - Scotland match here (in French)


Technorati Tags: rugby, communeau, print

Rugby postcard : Cambridge

        Rugby was born in a college... but not this one (Ley's college in Cambridge)

 

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard, cambridge

Victorian rugby Xmas card

A lovely Christmas card circa 1880, showing kids playing rugby.

The card itself is three-fold and shows other rugby scenes inside, that I will post someday...
 

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard

Welsh women do play Rugby !

       
A welsh write-away postcard (early XXth century).

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard

Red Cross

       
An old Belgian rugby postcard advertising for the Red Cross, showing two kids playing the Game.

I don't know very much about rugby in Belgium...

 
Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard

French rugby postcard

        Probably from the late '30s... but actually, I don't have a clue...
 

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard

A rugby game during Afghan war

A coloured rugby print from "The Grafic", 1879.

Full title is "the Afghan war football match by the 'fifty-ninth'
regiment at Khelat-I-Gilzai", and full caption reads : "Even if the
Afghan war is raging and it is only Khelat-I-Gilzai, a try is still a
try. Give the man room, my good friend - yes, you in the turban."

...no kidding...

 

Technorati Tags: rugby, print

Rugby by Fougasse

        Another rugby print published in Punch Magazine, 1921.

Caption reads : "Hang it all, man, don't make such a fuss ! remember, it's only a game..."

PS : the season is ending badly for my favorite team, the Stade
Francais, who lost this evening the French championship final to
Biarritz (34 - 37 ot) just two weeks after being defeated in the HCup
final... I should have stayed longer on holidays...
 

Technorati Tags: rugby, print, fougasse

I am off for a week !

Ladies and gentlemen !

I am afraid that I am leaving Paris tomorrow for one week... I'll will
be back on Saturday 11th... and I hope to see all of you again by
then...

Stay tuned !

Frederic

 

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard

1910 rugby calendar

       
A French calendar, nicely sponsored by Rodrigues & Co "tailor, shirtmaker and hatmaker" in Bordeaux.
 

Technorati Tags: rugby

After the match... a marked man

I like this G.M.Payne rugby postcard very much... poor old guy who needs some assistance...

NB just check the name of the teams : CRUSHEM vs SMASHEM

 

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard

Rugby Private Joke !

        A Fougasse print from Punch Magazine, Feb. 1925.

Caption says :

- On the command 'prepared to be photographed'

- Tenge the legs in order to provide an exaggerated impression of their muscular development

- Raise the shoulders to increase the apparent width of the chest

- And fold the arms so that the muscles of each are forced into prominence by hands judiciously placed behind them

One of the best private jokes I have ever read on rugby... I have been doing that for years...

 

Technorati Tags: rugby, print

French rugby postcard

        It shines in the dark.... magic postcard !

Probably from the 1920s...
 

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard

Cumberland County (Scotland)

       
Some time ago, I posted a not-so-serious picture of me wearing one this old nice rugby caps...

Here are the real guys wearing the same cap... they look much more formidable... don't they ?

I have googled a little after this team to find out that they have
triggered one of the milestone event of rugby history... the schism
between professional or amateur rugby that led to the opposition
between XV and XIII at the end of 19th century...

The whole story is reported here on the RFU website, here is an abstract :

The 'Great Schism' - Professional or Amateur?

In 1893 the Committee of the Union began to hear reports that some
players in the north of England were being paid for playing. This was
contrary to the strict amateur code and efforts were made to collect
hard evidence. The evidence arrived with a complaint by Cumberland
County Union that a leading Yorkshire club had induced one of their
players to leave for a monetary consideration. The Union set up an
inquiry but was warned privately and through letters to the press that
if the club was punished all the chief clubs in Lancashire and
Yorkshire would secede from the Union - a serious threat because a
large proportion of international players were drawn from these
counties. The inquiry was held and the club concerned was suspended.
There followed two large general meetings at which efforts were made by
the northern clubs to carry a resolution that men should be paid for
"broken time" - that is to say when playing football instead of
working. The motion was defeated.

In August 1895 twenty two clubs seceded from the Rugby Football Union
and formed the Northern Union (which in the 1920s became the "Rugby
League").

In 1995 the International Board announced that the game would become
"open" - that is, players could be paid for playing. So, exactly 100
years after the Northern Union had broken away, the ethos of the game
had completely changed...
 

Technorati Tags: rugby, print

Are we down-hearted... ?

       
No !

Another Tom Browne postcard from the early 1900s...

 

Technorati Tags: rugby, postcard