Rugby-Pioneers

Famous Rugby Footballers, 1895

The "Famous Footballers" were a series of high quality photographies edited by C.W.Alcock and Rowland Hill in 1895 (published by Hudson & Kearns). It came as a 12 pages weekly leaflet (cf below... too large for my A4 scanner...), or as individual sheets within "News of the World" newspaper. Strong and glossy paper... sharp pictures... the quality is just amazing... All pictures were shot in studio, in sometimes fairly kitsch settings...

The full series comprizes of 224 large photographies, i.e. 108 Association Footballers and 116 Ruggers... All the best British players from the 90s (1890s I mean...) are featured here... a fine journey between Home Countries (Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England) and major clubs, universities or counties from then (Blackheath, Moseley, Newport, Cardiff, Cambridge, Oxford, Lancashire, Midland County etc...)... a great way to capture that pioneers era...

You can sometimes find these pictures as a rare, expensive and beautiful king-size bounded book... I do collect them one by one... or can sometimes find a leaflet... I do have about fifty of them... some other posts in the future ! By the way, there are four of them hanging on my office wall to welcome you, should you pay me a visit in Paris !

As a starter today, here are Paul Clauss of Scotland (a member of the team that toured South Africa in 1891), A.J.Gould of Newport and Wales, J.H. Rogers of Moseley and England, B.B.Tuke of Ireland (click on the links to get larger pics).

To be continued...

rugby, famous footballers

When Paris was giving lessons to Toulouse students… 1903 final

This afternoon, Stade Français lost in Stade de France vs Stade Toulousain… first defeat of the season for my favourite team… Say, my story is a tribute to the roots and rise of Toulousain (*) rugby. This text is the translation of a recent post (in plain French…) on the forum of Stade Français website, where I regularly share some Parisian memorabilia (my ID is “Frederic 1892”).

 

1903… the supremacy of Parisian teams Stade Français and Racing Club de France is contested as rugby is rising in South-West France… Bordeaux became champion in 1899 and managed to play the final every season since then (defeated by Stade Français in 1900 and 1901.. by RCF in 1902…)

Stade Français was lead by Scot Jack Muir… my picture is not the team who played the final as it was shot three months earlier in Paris, but most key-players are there : Henri Amand (future international cap n°1 in 1906), Monrouval brothers (both students at « Polythechnique »), Gaudermen, Beaurin… (future international players G.Jérome and E.Lesieur are however missing).

The organization of early 1900s French Championship is simple… the best of provincial teams of the year vs the best of Parisian teams of the year…

In the North, Racing Club de France had won the « Championship of Paris » and was ready to play the final… but was disqualified for having played with an English rugger with no registered licence… and was replaced by Stade Français (SF defeating Le Havre in play-offs)

In the South, surprise came from  S.O.E.T (Stade Olympique des Etudiants Toulousains),  which managed its way to the final defeating Stade Bordelais (Bordeaux) and F.C.Lyon. The first rugby final in Toulouse history… obviously not the last one…



French Rugby Union decided to play the final in Toulouse (possibly to promote rugby outside of Paris) on April 26th 1903. In these days, there was no stadium in Toulouse… games were played on « Prairies des Flitres », i.e. an open field along river Garonne inside the city… until 1907 when « Stade des Ponts Jumeaux » (« Twin bridges Stadium»…) would be built.

Stade Français winger Emile Lesieur recalls a final where the guys from Paris did show more speed and tactics than their oppponents…Final score16-8, i.e. 4 tries to 2 for Stade Français.

Stats (in French) and details are brought here by my friends from finalesrugby.com

Rugby trivia now ! let’s mention that one of the four Parisian tries was scored by Mexican three-quarter Fernando Ancona… I believe that this is the only time in French rugby that a Mexican athlete enters into official records (and what about world rugby ? I haven’t even checked if Mexico is affiliated to IRB…). Let’s also note that there were two Scot players (Muir et Forsyth) in Paris team... opening the way for Simon Taylor this season…

Stade Toulousain “as we know it” was created in 1907 in direct connection from SOET… to make a long story short, Stade Toulousain inherits from four clubs… As early as 1896 (the prehistory of French rugby…), "Olympique Toulousain" (a team from Toulouse HiSchool « lycée ») and "Stade Toulousain" (another team from the same Toulouse « lycée »…) merged to create the "Stade Olympien des Etudiants de Toulouse" (SOET), while later, in 1905, "Union Sportive de l'Ecole Vétérinaire" (Vet’School team) and "Sport Athlétique Toulousain" merged into USEVT "Veto-Sports"… SOET et USEVT merged in 1907 to create Stade Toulousain…

A bit complicated… but students only !

Among 1903 Toulouse young ruggers , some will become key-players of Stade Toulousain : Fabregat (hidden in the second row of SOET team picture, with an impressive beard…) then first captain of Stade Toulousain, Cuillé or Toto Pujol, eccentric and eclectic athlete who will be capped in 1906… under Stade Français colours and will end his sporting career in Wales... Here are the guys in 1909 with Stade Toulousain : another lost final !



Otherwise, the rise of Toulousain (*) rugby that year 1903 must have stimulated the guys from Bordeaux… they will then put a stong hold on French Championship… winning in 1904, 1905, 1906 and 1907… until Stade Français “come back” in 1908… the last one before modern times… 1998 actually...

Here are larger pics of SF, SOET or ST


(*) Toulousain ? Toulousan ? how do you say "Toulousain" in English ??

Technorati Tags: rugby, stade français, stade toulousain, SOET

The most ridiculous rugby postcards EVER

French postcards... no date...

Freaking cards indeed !... outrageous make-up, kitsch and cheap studio background, ridiculous posing - especially the one where the guy seems to head at the ball -, fooball association jersey, insane sepia colours... weird !

I don't think that this photographer has ever attended to a rugby match...

If I may ask a question : why this ??

rugby

Harlequins v Maoris ... 1926 video footage

sent by Frederic

Earlier this month I was discussing about the 1926 tour of New Zealand Maoris in Europe, and I was regretting not to have any video evidence of their haka... Say, Michael Perkin mailed me last night that he's found it ! Here we are, back in 1926, to see the Harlequins of London defeating the Maoris 11-5 at Twickenham... Enjoy the 1'30 video (credit to British Pathé - wonderful digital archives... but too expensive for me...)

By the way: the Quins will be in Paris soon to play vs Stade Français in H-Cup... we'll discuss about that later...

rugby, video, maoris, haka, harlequins

Fantasy Team of WW1 Heroes

A team you've seen never before... actually a photoshop work to create a fantasy team of international ruggers who died during WW1.

The original picture is this photo of the Equipe de France who played vs England in April 1914 at Colombes... last international game before WW1 broke out... out of the 30 players, 11 were to be killed at war...

The line-up of this team goes from Scotland to New Zealand... from Ireland to South Africa... (larger pic here) :

3rd row :

David GALLAHER (NZ), J.J. CONILH DE BEYSSAC (F), Alfred MAYSSONNIE (F), Felix FAURE (F)

2nd Row

Basil MAC LEAR (Irl), Blair SWANNEL (Aus), Charles Meyrick PRITCHARD (Wal), Ronald POULTON-PALMER (Eng) (captain), Jan (Jacky) MORKEL (AfS), Gaston LANE (F), Emmanuel IGUINIZ (F), Maurice BOYAU (F)

Front Row:

Jean LARRIBEAU (F), Walter Riddell SUTHERLAND (Sco), Marcel BURGUN (F)

This fantasy team is an initiative of French Ministry of Defense ("Office National des Anciens Combattants" i.e. "Department of Veterans Affairs"), who took the opportunity of an international U13 tournament early this month in Rodez (France) to organize a temporary exhibition about French athletes during WW1, and to circulate 3000 copies of a fine leaflet about "Rugby & Rugbymen" (available here for download : the players' bios are inside...)

I was happy to bring a couple of pictures to this project... among other contributors, I've spotted the names of "online friends" Sean Fagan, David Arrou and Eric Lanuza...

Let me add a few links about this major tounament in Rodez, aka Top12, for 11-13 years old boys which gathered 800 boys and girls (edited Oct.17), from 40 teams and 10 countries (France, England, Wales, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Belgium, Romania and Italie). The program (in French) is here as well as the list of the teams... the story was covered here...

Edited Oct. 17 : not to forget Top12 website here...

Pictures by permission. Credit to ONAC de l'Aveyron and Imprimerie Hérail, Rodez

 

rugby, ww1

Rabbit rugby: most stupid rugby postcard ever ?

Recipes for stupid rugby postcards are simple : draw some animals or some babies (could do both ?) and let roll the ball...

This "rabbit game" could certainly be in the Top10, it's a bit weird... surely because of this anthropomorphic drawing...

Say, we could open a contest... all your "stupid" contributions are welcome ! Don't hesitate to share your stupid postcards  !

Here are those that I used to post over the past three years...

Freaky, isn't ??

Maori War Cry in Paris... and Germany 1926

No, the NZ Maoris did not tour in Germany in 1926...

But almost the same picture as my previous post i.e. performing Maori War Cry before playing in Paris, Stade de Colombes (in Miroir des Sports, Oct.1926)



In 1926-27, the NZ Maoris went on a seven-month tour which took in Australia, Ceylon, France, Wales and Canada. The side played 38 matches, winning 29, losing seven and drawing two.

Actually, I was surprised to find this Haka ("Schlachtruf" i.e. "War Cry") published as a German postcard (larger picture here @ Flickr)... sign of German growing interest for rugby in these days and sign of the strong interest from media in this "uncommon" team...

Having said that, the German caption is a bit misleading... it reads that "France defeats New Zealand in Rugby 11:9 - The NZ Maoris during their War Cry before the game begins", but that was not a Test Match nor an "official" French side, but a selection of Paris players. Ironically, the "true" Equipe de France lost 3 -12 the only Test match vs the Maori side, later in December in the same stadium

Check this other picture below (December 1926 in Paris)... cameras are rolling... (and the "Haka leader" is wearing trousers because the temperature was dead cold that day !)



I was hoping to find some video footage of the Maori team on the web, but did not... Say, I am still happy to share this Haka shot during the 1924-25 All Blacks tour ("The Invincibles")... "Ko Niu Tireni e haruru nei" - The New Zealand storm is about to break...

rugby, haka, maoris, new zealand