Rugby-Pioneers

Bouclier de Brennus, 1921... and 2008

There must be a couple of foreign readers who don't know that the "Bouclier de Brennus" ("Brennus' Shield) is the trophy awarded each year to French Rugby champion... This large and heavy shield is named after Charles Brennus, one of the "godfathers" of French rugby, who crafted it... as he was an engraver specialized in medals and trophies... By the way, here is an ad, published in 1905, for his workshop in Paris.

Among other things, Brennus created and managed a leading rugby club in Paris, the SCUF aka Sporting Club Universitaire de France, which owns the trophy and "lend" it to the winner each year... You could check the website of SCUF to get the whole story (in French... and I hope that Florent won't mind me stealing one of his Brennus' pictures, below...) Ironically, the SCUF never managed to become Champion (though they reached the final twice in 1911 and 1913....)

All this story is leading to the fact that last Saturday, Toulouse enjoyed a 17th "Bouclier" (from 1912 to 2008....) after an impressive win over Clermont (ranked n°1 before play-offs)... Here are the guys and the "Bouclier" (Jauzion, Kelleher, Ellisalde, Servat, Pelous, Médard and all the champions...) - picture via P.O.Carles (thanks dude !) and credit to ? (thanks anyway as well !)

My upper picture is a brochure with the calendar of all fixtures of 1921-1922 championship (then organized by USFSA, as French Rugby Union would be created the following year...)... Three noticeable things from this picture (larger one here @ Flickr) :

- first, too bad that a mouse has eaten part of the cover page of the brochure...
- second, in 1922 the Champion was Stade Toulousain... again..
- third, interesting ad on the cover... from a cycle manufacturer in... Clermont...

Edit July 1st : here is a 5 min video summary of 2008 final Stade Toulousain vs Clermont (via rugbydump.com)

Technorati : rugby, charles brennus, SCUF, stade toulousain, bouclier de Brennus

A not-so-universal theory about stripes

I am sometimes asked why ruggers do wear horizontal stripes, while footballers wear vertical stripes... ?

My not-so-universal theory about it brings three facts on the table...

First, why stripes ? this is a very complex question, that have been discussed by French historian (and rugby-fan...) Michel Pastoureau in a splendid book named "The Devil Cloth : a History of Stripes" (Columbia 2001)... it's just brilliant... and too rich or too complex to be sumerized here...it talks about jokers, musicians, fools, prisonners... and sportsmen... and why stripes used to be a symbol of exclusion or infamy in ancient times...  it's an amazing analysis from one of the most reknown scientist in medieval history and heraldic history... just read it ! (here at Amazon in French or in English)

Second, as football code began to evolve into two different codes ("Football Rugby" and "Football Association") in the second part of the XIXth century, it was a natural thing for each "football familiy" to adopt a differentiated kind of jersey... horizontal for Rugby vs vertical for Association... and plain colours for all !

Third, why horizontal stripes ? because as the Rugby code was spreading, newly created teams were certainly willing to follow their model, i.e. the colours of Rugby college... the place where it all begun !

Upper picture : "Famous English Football Players 1881" in Boys' Own Paper... you will recognize my header... (large pic here)

Lower pictures : left is XIX century rugby kit at Rugby college (horizontal stripes...with crossbones and skull...), right is an early XXth century Association postcard (vertical stripes...)

    

Hard times down under...

After England had some very bad times in New Zealand last week, an inexperienced French side is now heading to Australia... hard times for European teams...

I guess that this tour will very much look like this 1903 comic postcard, titled... "the weakly rugger"...

(full size pic here)

I (used to) like French football...

Bashing French football is such an easy game... that I won't play it (yet...)

Having said that, let's confess a couple of things related to football...

First, I do have some nice football pictures in my rugby collection, such as this early XXth century postcard... claret and blue...

Then, I used to play international football with "Equipe de France"... okay, it was the team of French Embassy in Singapore back in 1991... some serious and "official" games vs England, Germany or Dennmark... all teams wearing their respective colours, like these French jerseys drying at home after my washing duties...



There's one thing for sure, I enjoy playing football with friends much more than watching it on TV... and let's not even think of going to a football stadium !...

La France Sportive - numéro spécial...

"Sporting France" - special issue... a special booklet published by French magazine l'Illustration to discuss sports in France after the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

A rugby ball on the cover... and a full page article by Octave Lery, first President of the newly created Federation Française de Rugby (French Rugby Union) about the poor 1924 rugby tournament eventually won by US team vs France... like in 1920... to the disappointement of the crowd...

On the cover page are the football players from Uruguay, winners of the Olympic tournament... say, that's my (small) tribute to Euro 2008 in Austria & Switzerland... as France is playing tonight a win-or-get-back-home match vs Italy...

(larger picture @ Flickr : 1,2 or 3)

Stade vs Stade

Tomorrow is the last round of French pro championship ("Top14") before semi-finals and final... Clermont, Stade Toulousain, Stade Français and Perpignan are already qualified, but it remains some uncertainties to know which teams will be 3rd and 4th... my bet is that Paris will remain third, thus playing vs Toulouse in semi-finals...

Stade Français vs Stade Toulousain... a long time "classic" ... and my two favorite teams...

And here is a postcard from the 1920s showing the entrance of "Ernest Wallon" stadium... long time "home" of the Stade Toulousain... (larger pic here)

Rugby for schoolboys, 1901

All what I like ! A French colourful illustration describing a rugby game to 1900s kids... Great artwork ! Movement and colours...

This print is the cover page of "Le Petit Français lllustré - Journal des Ecoliers et des Ecolières" ("Illustrated Young Frenchman - Schoolboys and Schoolgirls newspaper"), November 1901.

(very large picture here @ Flickr)

O tempora, O mores !

College kids advertising for Ogden's cigarettes... published in The Graphic, March 1902...

Caption reads :
- I say, Bert, why don't you make your own cigarettes ?
- Because, Jack, I can't make Ogden's 'Guinea Gold'

My friends in advertising business will enjoy the simplicity and the ingenuousness of the message...and some other friends will regret these days when noboby was there to regulate and take care about your health, your feeding, your drinking or lifestyle...

"O tempora, O mores !" as old Cicero used to say...

(larger pic here)

The Country Gentleman, 1931

No doubt, it's US football... but still a rugby attitude... and H-bars... and a handsome athlete... in this nice magazine cover by John N. Howitt, issued in 1931.

There's a full size print here...