Rugby-Pioneers

Help wanted about Tredegar Hibernians RFC

Genealogy researchers often land on my website... and I am always happy when I can bring pictures or informations about ruggers from the past...

This time, there is nothing I can do... but I am confident that Welsh readers could help...

I received today a kind mail from Jim - his grandfather is on the picture..- asking for some background information about Tredegar Hibernians RFC who won the Rhymney Junior League in 1910.

We are looking for any kind of stories or pictures about Tredegar RFC (there's apparently nothing at the Club) and Rymney Junior League in pre-WW1 times... Please leave a comment below if you've got any clue..

(a larger picture here)


Identificateurs Technorati : rugby, Tredegar Hibernians, Rhymney

Crowd at stadium...

An unidentified postcard... somewhere in England... sometimes c.1900... the rise of sports as a mass phenomenon

Working class caps... middle class bowler hats... standing in a compact crowd...

I really like these pictures of crowds that tell us a lot about this era...

BYW if you check carefully this hi-res picture, you'll find 3 or 4 ladies sitting in the back...


Identificateurs Technorati : rugby

The smallest rugby poster print in the World ?

My picture here is far larger than the original one... that I picked up in a sports catalogue from the mid 20s... (hi res scans can do miracles ... here is a large one on Flickr...)

This kind of poster prints come with a blank area, where Rugby Clubs advertise for the next fixture...

(French collectors call that "une affiche passe-partout"... what about in English ?)

This print was drawn by Louis de Fleurac, an artist but also a true sportsman (mostly a "miler", Bronze medal at 1908 Olympics in London... at "3 mile team"...)... co-author of a book about running and track & field with rugger Pierre Faillot...

In the mid 20s, De Fleurac was also publishing sports sketches for French magazine "Tous les Sports" ... I've got a couple of ruggers to show another time...

Today print comes from "Mestre et Blatgé Football catalogue"... that brings everything a sportsman could dream of... again, I'll show that soon...

   

A very small print, indeed !   I am now chasing for the original one....

Identificateurs Technorati : rugby, fleurac, mestre & blatgé

Sports Auction in Paris yesterday... and a shortcut to 1912 rugby in Bordeaux...

There was a sport auction yesterday in Paris, where some nice rugby memorabilia was presented (thank you, Pierre, for the catalogue).

I took a wise decision (for my personal finances, I mean...)... and decided NOT to attend the sale.

I only have limited regrets, as the finest rugby item of the auction, i.e. this pre-WW1 poster print by Van Hasselt on the cover page of the catalogue, is already at home...

It's a large poster print (120 x 160 cm) first printed in 1907, mostly used in the region of Bordeaux where Dutch artist W.Van Hasselt was established (Arcachon to be precised, if Jacques is reading me...).

This print was also used on this nice "one page" programme for the semi-finals of 1912 French championship, with the name of the players and a scorecard printed on the back  (Bordeaux vs Racing Club de France, on March 17, 1912).... too bad that the original owner cut it into two parts to save the picture only... (large pic here : front / back )

Many "big" names on the field that day... Lane, Burgun, Faillot for RCF... Bruneau, Boyau, Leuvielle for Bordeaux... And a surprising 8-4 victory for the visiting side ...

My Welsh friends will also appreciate the presence of "Billy Bordeaux" on the local side, as Willie Morgan was nicknamed in France... W.Morgan was an international Welsh player, brother of Teddy Morgan, the man who scored THE try against the All Blacks on THAT famous December 16, 1905..

Identificateurs Technorati : rugby, van hasselt, bordeaux, RCF, morgan

Dally Messenger, Goal kicking contest, Sydney 1910

A strange postcard indeed... and, again, a lot to tell...

Here are Jimmy Lomas and Dally Messenger, respectively England and Australia captains, engaged in a goal kicking contest, just before the second test match of the 1910 tour in Sydney, in front of a reported 42,000 people crowd (all stats are here @ rlhalloffame.org.uk).

My attention was drawn by John (www.ovalballs.com) with whom I was discussing about this other postcard recently auctioned on eBay (damn, I should have bought it as well...)... same location, same people, same action... but different picture...

Edit 21/01/08 : I am getting wrong ! Sean pointed out  that the chap in white jersey/black socks is not an English player as I thought, but the referee !... actually, the 1910 English RL team was playing in hoops.. so things are now simple : you've got a nice pair of postcards... Jimmy Lomas up there, Dally M down there... that's it... thanks Sean !

I was not very sure about the possibility of a goal kicking contest - what a lovely idea, indeed ! - and eventually was very happy to find a confirmation in Sean Fagan's great book about Dally Messenger, as he his also reporting - and bringing another picture - this kind of contest before the 1910 test matches.

A perfect opportunity, then, to warmly recommend "The Master", subtitled "The life and times of Dally Messenger Australia's first sporting superstar" by Sean Fagan and Dally Messenger III.

I do not intend to give you here a full bio of Dally M - regular readers maybe remember that Sean gave us some kind of teaser a year ago (pfff... time flies...) - . Quoting Sean : "Herbert Henry - Dally- Messenger was a star rugby union player (NSW & Australia) in 1907. In August 1907 he turned professional and joined the New South Wales Rugby League (now NRL). Nicknamed "Dally M", he was known equally for his spectacular play, and his prodigous drop & place kicking."

To end up with this story, let's mention that, on that June 18th 1910, England won the test vs Australia 27 - 20... despite Dally Messenger scoring one try and four goals... and let's bet that Dally surely won the kicking contest...

All details to purchase Sean's book are here on his fantastic website rl1908.com

Identificateurs Technorati : rugby, England, Australia, Dally M, Dally Messenger

International rugby in Spain, "mystery test" feat. Yves du Manoir, 1927

This morning, I spotted an unusual number of visitors from Catalonia (Benvinguts a tots !)... I digged a little into my scans but was unable to retrieve anything from there (say.. I do have pictures of Perpignan...)... and eventually found out this strange picture...

The kind of pictures that brings tons of questions (to me, at least...)

The picture shows fly-half Yves du Manoir playing a "mysterious" France - Spain match in May 1927, apparently played in Madrid. I say "mysterious" as it is not recorded as a test match in French official stats, and none of my rugby books even mention it (a very fast reading, I admit...)...

Questions, then...: what is this fixture ? who organized it ? why ? where ? how was rugby in Spain in the 20s ? Was it part of the efforts of French Rugby Union to promote rugby outside of Home Unions, i.e. towards Germany, Italy, Romania... but also Marocco, Senegal... (btw I've recently found some documents about the latter ones...) ? Why isn't there any record of that game ?

By the way, this picture comes from a very interesting biography of Yves du Manoir, one of the most brilliant and talented French players of the 20s, who sadly died in 1928, aged 24, in a plane crash - he was a pilot in the Air Force. (his biography was written and published by his relative Réné Pelley du Manoir in the early 30s and includes dozens of fine pictures ; some of them being scanned @ Flickr)

I will surely post some notes about this great player later this year...

Edit 21/01/08 : a knowledgeable reader, John, has found the missing information for us in a French rugby book from the 70s ("Histoire Générale du Rugby - Les capes du matin" by Georges Pastre, p206)

"Le 26 mai [1927], jour de l'Ascension, une bonne selection francaise joua a Madrid contre l'Espagne qui comptait douze clubs. Le score fut de 66-6.".

Or in English, as John put it in his comment below :

"A French XV (caps not awarded) beat Spain 66-6 in Madrid on 26 May 1927. The French side was: Piquemal; Jardel, H Behoteguy, Pascot, Nouhaud; Du Manoir, Dupont; Loury, Camicas, Etcjeberry, Bousquet, Galia, Bonamy, Cazenave and Ribere ... a full-strength team."

Thank you John !

Identificateurs Technorati : rugby, Spain, du Manoir

Collecting funky rugby postcards...

As a collector, I am searching for rugby postcards that have either some sporting interest, or some historical interest or some artistic interest... and this one makes none of them !

But, say, I like this one !

Title reads "Olympiades chez nos amis les bêtes : Le Rugby - Les Chats", i.e. "Olympic games for our friends, the animals : Rugby - Cats". This card was issued by Ovolmatine, the famous chocolate drink, in the mid 20s (my guess... around 1924 Olympics in Paris).

What makes it unique is that this card is a collage, made by a young boy who then sent it to his Auntie... French speaking readers could read it here...




Technorati Tags : rugby, postcard, olympics, cats

WW1 propaganda "La Grande Equipe du Midi"

This "Championnat International de Football Rugby" propaganda postcard, dated 1914, shows most of French "Etat Major" playing rugby with the Kaiser's head...

It is also titled "La Grande Equipe du Midi" (The Great Team of Southern France) as all these gentlemen come from the South of France and wear the rugby colours of their respective city, i.e. Joffre (Perpignan, and team captain...), Foch (Tarbes), de Castelnau (Stade Toulousain), Boué de Lapeyrère (Auch) and Gallieni (St Gaudens).

A larger picture is available here at Flickr.


Identificateurs Technorati : rugby, postcard, ww1, joffre, foch, gallieni