Rugby-Pioneers

Jules Cadenat, SCUF, 1911

Here is Jules Cadenat, captain of SCUF (Sporting Club Universitaire de France), on the cover page of French sports newspaper Plein Air, november 1911.

Actually, I have just realized that Florent, webmaster of the SCUF website, linked me on his forum... so, let me thank him and say hello to his fellows "Scufistes"...

I won't bring here a full bio of this formidable player and pack leader (7 times international between 1911 and 1913,  twice runner-up of French Championship 1911 and 1913), founder of AS Beziers, his home-town, head-coach of French national team in the 30s (check the picture below.. Cadenat is the gentleman wearing a beret, bringing wine to the players at half-time of a V Nations Tournament match won in Dublin...), President of AS Beziers in the 50s... and finally French champion, as the President...., in 1961 with Beziers...

French readers will find a more detailed bio on the SCUF website here...




SCUF emerged in the 1910s as a solid contender to Racing Club de France and Stade Français "to rule" over Parisian rugby... in 1911, SCUF reached the final of French Championship (lost 14-0 to Bordeaux) and became "Champion de Paris" (b. Stade Français 17-5... my third picture from La Vie Au Grand Air)



(full size pictures 1,2 and 3 on Flickr )


Pretty long post today... and summer break for www.rugby-pioneers.com !
I am getting "offline" for three weeks or so... see you then !




Technorati Tags: rugby, print, scuf, cadenat

Soldiers playing Foot-Ball - Harpers' Weekly 1865

I have received this contribution from Arnaud. Thanks a lot !

Great picture indeed, from US newspaper Harpers' Weekly, July 15, 1865... so to say, a few weeks after the end of the Civil War...

Caption reads "Holiday in Camp - Soldiers playing Foot-Ball" Sketched by Winslow Homer.

This scrimmage is a bit wild... you don't even see the ball... you might have thought of more peaceful ways to celebrate that war-times are over...

Seriously, it's a surprise for me to learn that Americans were practising foot-ball back in 1865... I should investigate that...

Again, don't hesitate to share your rugby memorabilia here ! it's always a pleasure !

(full size picture here ; credit to Arnaud de Rauly)



Technorati Tags: rugby, harpers' weekly, civil war

Public School Rugby, Boy's Own Paper, March 1891

While Parisian boys were discovering rugby (see my previous post), young English ruggers were pictured for the top story and the cover page of this famous youth magazine... amusing coincidence as both pictures were published at the same time in March 1891... obvious differences in terms of matury and experience...

"Dangle, get off the field" says the angry captain to his teammate... violence and discipline issues in early rugby ??

(full size pic here)

Technorati Tags: rugby

College Championship, Paris, March 1891

French rugby started in Parisian colleges !

These two pictures are the two oldest French photos from my collection. They show two Parisian colleges playing what I believe to be the very first official rugby competition in France, as "College Championship" was established in 1891, one year before "senior" competition started in 1892.

Here are the teams from L'Ecole Alsacienne (up) and Lycée Michelet (down) in "Le Soleil du Dimanche" weekly newspaper - March 8. 1891.

(full size pictures here and there)


Technorati Tags: rugby, ecole alsacienne, lycée michelet

Rugby at the Fine Art Museum, finally...

Rugby artwork finally recognized...

Yves Roowy's Olympic postcard series eventually exhibited in Paris...

No kidding ! ... just playing with one-click-visual-effects at www.dumpr.net ...


Technorati Tags: rugby, roowy

International Football Caps, Boy's Own Paper

I am sure that I have already shown that print... but it's well worth another posting!

This 1920s Boy's Own Paper poster displays main International caps (both rugby and association football). I don't know why French and "colonial" caps are far older (1905, 1906, 1907) than the others..

(Full size pic at Flickr)

Technorati Tags: rugby, boy's own paper, print, cap

XIXth century rugby die-cut

Kid stuff... Victorian die-cuts coming from an old scrapbook...

Nice rugby kits, indeed...

(full size picture here)


Technorati Tags: rugby, die-cut

Olympique, "forgotten team", 1898

Let me tell you a story...

In 1880, a 13 years old pupil from Ecole Alsacienne founded a sports society "Les Sans Noms" ("the no-names") together with 15 schoolmates. They'll soon be 130... one year before Racing Club de France was even created. This young boy was Jean-Baptiste Charcot, later medical doctor and famous polar scientist, explorer with the ship "Pourquoi Pas ?" Charcot is said to have organised one the very first college rugby match in Paris in 1880.

Early 1890s (can't find the date...), the "Sans Noms" - now senior players - were joined by a bunch of former RCF players to form l'Olympique ... a very cosmopolitan team with gentlemen from England, Cuba, Spain, Brazil... My picture is only black & white, you can only guess the black "O" and the red wings on the players' chest...

In the newly created "championnat de France" (1892), Olympique quicky appeared to be the only serious contender to Stade Français and Racing Club de France supremacy... they managed to reach the final in 1895 (lost 16 -0 to Stade Français) and to win the 1896 championship (won 12-0 to Stade Français... again).

Olympique "vanished" at the turn of the Century... I have no idea what happened, but they suddenly disappeared from the radar of French rugby history...

I was very happy to find this team picture over the week-end, in "Sports Illustrés" newspaper dated mars 1898... I have read many books about rugby in Paris and it's the first time that I see a picture of this "forgotten team"...

(full size pic here)



Technorati Tags: rugby, print, sports illustrés, olympique, charcot

Rugby books for boys

Youth litterature is a constant source of colorful rugby illustrations... here are two great cover prints from the 20s !

I recently purchased the first one (Herbert Strang's Annual, 1924), while the other one was referred to me by Patricia, who displays tons of vintage illustrations on her great website "L'Agence Eureka". She actually found this picture on the web, at "The Culture Archive". Thank you, Patricia !

(Herbert Strang's Annual full size pic is here. )

A.Jaureguy - F.Borde - Stade Toulousain

Adolphe Jaureguy again...

Frederic kindly sent me this nice photography (*)... Toulouse center and captain François Borde (yes, with a beret !) passing the ball to his winger Adolphe Jaureguy... two legendary players from a period when Stade Toulousain was ruling French championship... six times champion (and one lost final) between 1921 and 1927...

The picture, signed by the players, is dedicated to Dr Paul Voivenel, a former prop from Toulouse before WW1, then journalist at La Depeche du Midi (the main regional newspaper in Toulouse) and Midi Olympique (the one and only rugby weekly newspaper)

Frederic is an editor who published earlier this year a great book to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Stade Toulousain (this photography is inside the book... on a double page...)

Stade Toulousain : Un Siècle de Rugby en Rouge et Noir
Bruno Fabioux - Henri Rozès - Jacques Verdier
Midi Olympique Editions
(216 p - in French !)
For sale at Amazon.fr here

(larger pic here / credit photo FAREM)

(*) you're all welcome to share your rugby memorabilia here ! just drop me a mail: fhumbert (at) gmail (dot) com...

Technorati Tags: rugby, print, jaureguy, stade toulousain

Adolphe JAUREGUY, 1923

Here is French superstar from the 20s, winger Adolphe Jaureguy (Stade Toulousain, Stade Français) running with Equipe de France colours on the cover of satirical newspaper Le Rire, December 1923

Under this drawing by Leandre, caption reads (in French) "Maison Jaureguy & Cie - transport de ballon à domicile par les voies les plus rapides" (something like "Jaureguy & Co, the fastest home delivery of balls"...)

Ironically, I find it difficult to have good quality picture of Jaureguy... maybe he was running too fast for the cameras... Here his this gentleman running for a French victory versus Ireland 14-8 in April 1923 (cover of French Magazine "Miroir des Sports" )

Full size pictures are here (Le Rire) and there (Miroir des Sports)...

Technorati Tags: rugby, jaureguy