Colonial rugby... Afghanistan, 1879

Rugby game was spread around the World by students, merchants and soldiers, like this British regiment organizing a match during Second Afghan War... As a collector, I like to pin my rugby worldmap with pictures of these "colonial rugby"...

This one is a hand-coloured rugby print from "The Grafic", 1879.

My poor scan doesn't do justice to this great print... here is a larger (but not better, I am afraid...) pic here @ Flickr.

Full title is "the Afghan war football match by the 'fifty-ninth' regiment at Khelat-I-Gilzai", and 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...

(actually a repost from January 2006... blogging summer programs...)