Rugby-Pioneers

Pirates !

This post is inspired by current controversy in France, New Zealand and Ireland (why this ? rugby countries only... ?) about internet control and so-called "graduated response"... Here is my modest support to the "Pirates" vs the lobbies of cultural industries...

Pirates, Buccaneers, Skulls and Crossbones are as old as rugby... many early teams around the world have elected such names and attributes... the most famous being Rugby college itself (cf this previous post) : here are, on the left, a sketch from French book "Bien jouer au Rugby" by C.Rutherford and R-M Rolland (1934), on the right a 1880 print "The Rugby Boys at Football" (large pic here), and below a very early photography dated 1864 borrowed @ www.historic-uk.com.

 



The team picture all above is one of my faves... New Zealand Napier Pirate Club, shot in 1889, proudly wearing home-made skulls and crossbones and presenting Hawkes Bay RU Challenge Trophy... This picture (large pic here with the name of these gentlemen) comes from the wonderful "History of New Zealand Rugby Football" by A.C.Swan, 1945. Let's zoom in...



My fellow collectors Sean and John have also reported "Pirates" in Australia (Sydney 1890s) and Ireland (University College, Cork, 1930s)... And it has recently appeared to me - it was a big surprise for me! - that the very first jersey of the famous Barbarians was also wearing skull and crossbones... Here are W.P.Carpmael and friends in 1891...



You could find a larger picture here, out of another great old book "The Barbarians 1890-1932 - A complete Record" by Emile de Lissa (Vice President of Barbarians FC in 1932)... Pirates & Barbarians, what a headline !

Have you ever been to Huddersfield (in 1910) ?

Following my post earlier this month about Huddersfield rugby tram, I've received this fine series of postcards from Rugby League collector Stuart Quinn. The "Team of All Talents" is (almost...) all here !

Upper picture shows the team posing with 1910 Yorkshire Cup, Huddersfield's first trophy before several in a row before WW1.Then come Hall of Fame players Wagstaff and Rosenfeld followed by Holland, Ganley, Lee, Swindon, Rogers and Gleeson. Below is another picture of the same team led by W.Kitchin.

Both team pictures also show Pat "Nimmo" Walsh, a gentleman from down-under once portrayed by RL historian Sean Fagan on his rl1908.com fame. Please check my old posts (three years ago...) for more Pat Walsh : Waratahs 1904 and Representative caps...

Again, thank you Stuart !

"Play up, Ireland" 1875-2009

"Play up, Ireland" says this old Baines card... my contribution to celebrate Ireland Grand Slam in 2009 ! I know a couple of my regular readers who must be happy today...

Let me also take this opportunity to celebrate the very first Irish national rugby team... back in February 1875, when the first International was played against England at Kensington Oval.



You'll find more information about this fixture and Irish Rugby Football Union history on IRFUwebsite. Here is a short abstract :

From 1874 to 1879 there were two Unions. The Irish Football Union had jurisdiction over Clubs in Leinster, Munster and parts of Ulster; the Northern Football Union of Ireland controlled the Belfast area. When the first International was played against England in February 1875, the teams were twenty a side and the Irish team included 12 players from Leinster and eight from Ulster. The first fifteen a side match was in 1877 and the first Munster players were chosen in 1879.

This 20-a-side team (name of the players + hi-res picture here), led by G.Stack, lost its first game 2 goals and 1 try to nil...

Indeed a difficult start for Ireland, which had to wait for 5 more years before scoring a single point in an international game (match #8 vs England in January 1880)... plus another year to record its first victory in February 1881 vs Scotland (detailed records are here: page 1, 2 and following)

Let me zoom on these gentlemen... Green hoops and no shamrocks... Irish jersey then turned to be white (with a shamrock !) for their second game vs England in Dec.1875, and then plain green as (more or less) we know it... (Thank you, Fergal, for the explanations !)



Team pictures are scanned from "Football : The Rugby Union Game" by Rev.F.Marshall (wonderful book published in 1892).

rugby, Ireland

Testing new diaporamas...

About 75 fine vintage rugby prints.... Diaporama provided by Fotonauts...

Moving backwards...

England rules... we're back to times when every game between England and France was the occasion of a severe lesson of rugby... French rugby is moving backwards...

This print is cover page of French weekly newspaper "Le Petit Journal Illustré", April 1921, by artist André Galland... larger picture here...

It's indeed the third time that I am publishing Galland's rugby artwork... and some other to come...

Thristle and Shamrock...

Tournament is back this week-end !

I am waiting for England v France next Sunday (hey... I'm French !)... Even if my favorite bookmaker believes that the odds are (slightly) in favor of the Frogs... (France  1.83:1 / England 2.10:1), I'm far from being that confident... I'm sure that Martin Johnson has found sweet words to motivate his troops...

Before that "Crunch", Ireland will play Scotland at Murrayfield tomorrow. Searching for pictures, I've remembered that day in October 1923 when Home Union countries set up mixed teams to celebrate the 100th anniversary of rugby (say, the Webb Ellis legend...). The game was played in Rugby college, on the Close, where it all began...

Here is a larger picture of this Thristle and Shamrock team with the names of the players.

Eight "Dark Blues" : J.M.Dykes, J.C.R.Buchanan, L.M.Stuart, D.Davies; A.L.Gracie, W.E.Bryce, J.R.Lawrie, M.Bannerman

Seven "Emerald Greens" : R.Y.Crichton, T.M'Clelland, W.P.Collopy, W.E.Crawford, D.J.Cussen, G.V.Stephenson, H.W.Stephenson

I've scanned this picture in W.Rowe Harding's "Reminiscence and Opinions", published in 1929 by this fine Welsh player (for sale here @ rugbyrelics.com... thanks Dai for the scan, your dust cover is better than mine...)

W.Rowe Harding was playing in the Anglo-Welsh team lead by W.W.Wakefield (larger pic here) which finally won a "thrilling contest" 21 to 16...



Even French Rugby Union was represented ... as C.M.Rutherford, an Englishman but a true pioneer of French Rugby as a player - Racing Club de France - in the 1900s and then as an official and a referee, was touch judge... This gentleman deserves a full bio some other day !

Rugby tram to Huddersfield, 1909

"Well played Huddersfield" shines this old tram !

Light bulbs garlands to celebrate Northern Union club Huddersfield - today "Giants" in Super League -. In 1909/1910 Huddersfield won the Yorkshire Challenge Cup, opening the way to several years of success before WW1 for "the team of All Talents", led by "Prince of Centres" Harold Wagstaff...

Check the picture carefully : the portrays of the players are displayed behind the windows...

I can't recognize the players, but obviously the same series of photographies as this postcard dated 1909 as well (W.M.Edwards... no stats about this gentleman, I'm afraid)

I like this game of chasing for rugby details in old postcards...

One final word to recall that Huddersfield is the city where stands George Hotel, the place where on August 29, 1895 twenty-one northern clubs held a meeting and by a majority of 20 to 1 voted to secede from the RFU to set up their own Northern Rugby Football Union (which became Rugby Football League in 1922) (History of RL on Wikipedia here)

For those who like the history of Rugby League AND do speak French (anyone ?), I strongly recommend this 1h documentary "Rugby à XIII : Envers et contre tous" that can be purchased and downloaded here (5€) (also check the small teaser in the right column of my website)

And to make this long post even longer... let's also share this (poor) Baines card...

Edited March 9th : Sean @ rl1908.com suggests that the photos in the tram are RL Hall of Fame players Albert Rosenfeld, an Australian and all time best try scorer in British League... 80 tries during 1913-14 season, and Harold Wagstaff. You could check this fine blog about RL History to get a full bio of these great ruggers (Rosenfeld here... Wagstaff there...)

Rugby League, Northern Union

Next year in Cardiff...

I was not invited to attend France v Wales last Friday in Paris (full report @scrum.com and the last 5 minutes in video @YouTube)... let's hope that the WRU will think about it next year in Cardiff... a complementary press ticket like this one from February 1929 will just be perfect !

I'll be also happy to join the dinner after the game ! (this invitation and menu don't belong to me... I have this picture on my computer but I don't know who to credit for... they probably come from an auction catalogue)

 

rugby, WRU