Rugby-Pioneers

XIXth century rugby scraps

I really like these Victorian rugby scraps, die-cuts, "découpis"... whatever you name them ! (some explanations about scraps here)

The really give a flavour of what XIXth century rugby could have been (in colleges, for instance, like the one above)... they also bring colours among all these black & white photos and prints...

Last but not least, I also like the idea that kids  had been playing with them...

Another one here showing the guys of Cardiff (in blue) vs Newport (in yellow, thank you, Paul !)  I-dont-know- please-help-me (in yellow, could this be Richmond ?)





Technorati Tags: rugby, die-cut

Captain Amand or Captain Pelous ?

French Rugby magazine "Attitude" (n°13 i.e. november issue) did a nice shooting of Fabien Pelous wearing great moustaches (and so also did Yannick Nyanga and Frederic Michalak..) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Equipe de France. I have find it interesting to draw a parallel with Henri Amand, captain of the 1906 team (here in 1898 with Stade Français)...

Obviously, some of the 1906 guys looked very... French...

And so does Fabien Pelous on the magazine cover...

Technorati Tags: rugby, pelous, 1906, amand

Who wants to play football rugby with me ?

t
This is a rugby table game that I bought a couple of years ago...

Actually I don't know much about it... any hint will be welcome... it seems to be French (at least the rules are written in French...)... I guess it's from the 30's (just a guess...)

The game inside looks like a classical "jeu de l'Oie" (dear English readers... I don't know how to translate this...). Just read the rules here if you like... 18 you're offside....57 you're tackled... 94 it's a goal...





Technorati Tags: rugby

Museum of Rugby, Twickenham

A friend of mine recently visited the RFU Museum of Rugby at Twickenham and sent me some pictures in return. It seems to be a great place for memorabilia fans ... and I will surely arrange a visit next time I go to London...

Oddly, one of these pictures - partly dedicated to French memorabilia - provides an answer to a long lasting question : why is this poster print named "Le Football de Salon" ("The drawing room football") ?



And the answer is... because this print is copied from a table game (a kind of early XXth century Subbuteo  ?)  as evidenced in this dipslay proposed by the Rugby Museum !



BTW the French trade card in the bottom left corner of this picture is a wonderful trade card from French department store Le Bon Marché, showing a fine rugby scene inside...


Technorati Tags: rugby, museum

What colour are Marcel's socks.... ??

Here is Marcel Communeau from Stade Français, proud captain of the first Equipe de France to win an international match, against Scotland in 1911 ...

Question : What colour are Marcel's socks.... ??

A serious question... no kidding !

Let me explain.... I am discussing with a craftman who will make for me some lead figurines representing my favorite rugby players from the 1900s... I am gathering some documents for him to show him the colours and details... and I have an issue with all these B&W pictures...

So, the socks ... red (my bet...) ? blue ? black ? violet ?



Technorati Tags: rugby, communeau

Could you help us identify this rugby cap ?

Ebe, a scot expatriated in the US, has bought this fine rugby cap  (large pic available here) and is searching where it could come from.

He believes the letters to be CSMRFC or maybe GSMRFC.

Could anyone help ?

Phil, John, any hint ?

edited July 3rd : Pat Walsh got it ! its Camborne School of Mines Rugby Football Club .The Club is in Cornwall UK & the insignia is a crossed Hammer Shovel & Pick (representing Miners Tools). Check comments for full details... Pat, you're definitely a reference for caps...

PS : it's not the first time that I post about "caps" here, sometimes seriously... and sometimes not so seriously...



Technorati Tags: rugby, cap

French rugby, 1932

Actually, not a postcard nor a print but an Almanach from the "Post & Telegraph Office" with a rugby theme...

Usually, such calendars come with kittens or flowers... this one was a bit different...

Technorati Tags: rugby, print

Pat "Nimmo" Walsh's representative caps

Let me tell you this : I am collecting rugby memorabilia because I like to recall of the real men and the real stories behind all these cards, prints, pictures or whatever... So, no doubt that I have been very pleased to receive this contribution from Down Under ... Pat Walsh is here introducing some souvenirs of his great father... Pat Walsh !

Australian rugby historian Sean Fagan - just check its wonderful websites www.rl1908.com and www.colonialrugby.com.au - has written a short bio here. Here is an abstract :
 

"By 1904 Walsh had become one of the most highly regarded footballers in the young nation. In that season he represented NSW and Australia (3 tests) against the visiting British rugby union teal. Walsh also played for Northern Districts (Newcastle) aginst the tourists. It was following events in this match  that Walsh and many other footballers felt they had been betrayed by the NSWRU.

The repercussions continued through the 1905 season, culminating in Walsh's shock exclusion from the Australian rugby union team that was to tour New Zealand. The omission of Walsh had nothing to do with his on-field form, which had been highly praised throughout 1905. Despite a huge public outcry, and much discontent voiced by his NSW team mates, the Australian selectors refused to add Walsh to the tour party.

Utterly dismayed, Walsh left Australia, before taking up with an Auckland club in 1906. Meanwhile his team mates supporters, notably Alec Burdon and James J. Giltinan, felt that the poor treatment of Walsh (on the back of earlier instances of footballers suffering at the hands of the NSWRU), was enough to ignite the move to form a rival professional rugby league competition."

I have recently posted a team picture of Pat Walsh with the 1904 Warratahs here.

Let's Pat explain what he's brought to us :

This is an image of my Grandfather's Representative Caps.

Rugby Union :
Australia 1904.
New South Wales 1903,1904,1905.
Auckland N.Z.1907.

Rugby League : Australia 1908/09

The Gold Watch was presented to him in 1908 by the Auckland Rugby Union on his departure to Australia to play Rugby League.

This is a press clipping (larger pic here) of a rugby match New South Wales Vs Queensland (June 1904). Pat Walsh is the N.S.W. flanker in view.

Edited May 30 : Pat Walsh (the grand-son...) has sent me another team picture featuring his grand-father in 1904, plus some newspapers clippings (one, two and three) about the unexplained exclusion of Pat Walsh from the Australian team touring in New Zealand.

Again, thank you, Pat ! By the way... do you know that I like caps a well... ;-)

Edit June 3rd, 2009 : let's also share this picture of Pat "Nimmo" Walsh wearing Huddersfiled colours (1909-10 - cf this other post)

Tags: rugby, pat walsh,

I need you : call for contributions !!

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear visitors, I am calling for your contributions !

I would like to open this space to other rugby memorabilia collectors !

I would like to publish here nice rugby items from your collection, i.e. prints, postcards, photography, trade cards, cigarette cards, etc... whatever provided that it illustrates the early days or rugby (I mean before the 30s...)

The rules are simple :

a) you send me one or several pictures of your favorite rugby item from your colection, with a short (long if you like...) comment about it (what it is... why you like it... in French, Spanish or English)
b) you send me a few words about you (and your website or your blog if any...)
c) there is no point c)...
...

I hope to earing from you soon ! You can reach me at : fhumbert (at) gmail.com

John, Phil, Paul : the ball is on your side...

XIXth century rugby die-cut

 
Victorian die-cut with a rugby theme... cute, isn't it ?

From a time when kids didn't have TV nor Playstations nor chat rooms...




Technorati Tags: rugby, die-cut

Do you want to spend 15,000 $ in Rugby memorabilia ?

This is a genuine All Black jersey from the famous 1905 tour. Just the same as the one that David Gallaher is wearing on this postcard... (credit to John Ovalballs for the picture...)

This jersey was worn by George Gillet, wing foreward against Wales in their only - controversial... - loss (3 to nil) during this 35 games campaign across England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France and the USA... It will be auctionned next April 26 in Cardiff, and could go as high as 10,000 £ (basically 15,000 $ or €). If you want to place a bid, all details are here...

I have posted many times about the 1905 "Originals" All Blacks... here is a quick reminder :

• The 1905 Haka
  
• A picture of the team before crushing England 15 - 0
• Some pictures while playing vs France on January 1st 1906
• The full team and there (on my previous blog... I will need to post them again here...)
• Introducing a nice book on Amazon (details here)

And our friend John (Master of Collecting...) is displaying a whole array of postcards here on this topic...

Technorati Tags: rugby, all blacks, auction, gallaher, postcard

Haka 1905 vs Haka 2005...

This is an old newspaper photography (credit to Wes' excellent website...) showing the Gallaher boys performing the Haka in 1905.

It seems that these gentlemen take it with a smile... not so serious indeed...

Maybe an historian of All Blacks rugby (Sean ?) could explain the evolution, but here is a video of the "new" 2005 Haka ("Kapa o pango" during the TriSeries against South Africa)... brrr.... I don't like very much this (faint ?) aggressivity...

Rugby is a sport... a tough and demanding sport, but only a sport... here is my kind reminder... click on the pic...

PS (March 3) : Sean Fitzpatick's answer in the New Zealand Herald (november 2005) - "Haka aimed at All Blacks, not rivals" (via Wes)

Technorati Tags: rugby, all blacks, haka

Rugby in Paris, 1890

One on my oldest print despicting the French Game !

The print comes out of a French magazine dated 1890 and has been later nicely water-coloured.

From what I have read in my history books (I always have them with me...), this is one one the very first games organised in Paris (Bois de Boulogne) under "football rugby" rules... it involves the boys from Janson de Sailly (a top "college" in West Paris...) and the boys from a  Kensington college visiting Paris.

The game was organised by English sportsmen teaching in Janson... pretty "chic" and "aristocratic" crowd as you can see from the etching...

Actually, Coubertin's USFSA was created in 1890, gathering 14 "Societes Athletiques" (13 in Paris, 1 in Bordeaux - that's for Jacques) (or counting differently : 8 colleges and 4 "independent" clubs including recently created Stade Francais and Racing Club de France). The first competition that USFSA managed to organize was a "football rugby" championship between colleges... (in fact, only three of them...)... It started with boys before USFSA organised the first "senior" championship two years later in 1892 (SF vs RCF as usual....)..

****

Having said that, let's also mention that we have had a verly pleasant "RugbyBlogs" dinner yesterday night in Paris, gathering some 15 people (my fellow organizer Julien..., our "guest star" Pierre"..., my blogofriends Rodrigo, Olivier, Jacques, Jeremy... rugby bloggers Brennus, Anne, Joel... ). I highly recommand this "corrida and rugby" place named J'GO (based both in Toulouse and Paris) : good food, nice people, "ambiance"...

Some pictures by Olivier or Jacques...

Strangely enough, our dinner was advertised in last Monday "Midol" (France nbr 1 rugby weekly)...

We'll have another dinner in two months or so... stay tuned....





Technorati Tags: rugby, print, janson, j'go, salviac

RugbyBlogs, dinner in Paris

Allright, registrations are closed (*)... we'll be 25 to discuss rugby, internet, or whatever you like indeed...

We (Julien and I) have booked at J'GO, a fine "rugby" restaurant bridging between Paris and Toulouse... I am currently discussing the menu with the manager (speciality is "le gigot entier roti à la broche"... yummy !)...

To be continued ! we will mail individually all participants in a week or so...

when : Thursday 23. Feb

where :

J'GO
4 rue Drouot
75009 PARIS
metro : Richelieu-Drouot


(*) late comers could drop a mail... I'll be happy to open a "waiting list" but the restaurant can't make it more than 25...

Technorati Tags: rugby

2007 Rugby World Cup has started !!

The ticketing for the next 2007 Rugby World Cup in France is open !

All the details here.

Not all the tickets are available (1st round and 1/4 finals only) for sale but you can buy "packs" (expensive of course...):

"City packs" : to see several matches in one of the 12 cities (including Edinburgh and Cardiff).

"Team packs" : to follow your favorite teams during the first round.

Click there !

I have bought some ! so that my boy (he will be 8 in 2007) has the opportunity to see the first French team winning the World Cup... Our first match on Sept.21st 2007 (!), Stade de France : France vs Ireland...

And here is the official site of the RWC.

Technorati Tags: rugby

Le Football Rugby, by L.Dedet and E.Saint-Chaffray, 1901

       
You know what ? I joined the eBay community three years ago for one main reason : finding this book ! done !

This book was written in 1901 (mine is not the original edition, as it is a 1902 reprint... I also have a spare one from 1907) by two famous ruggers and is known to be the very first book about Football Rugby ever published in France. The book explains how to play the game, give some elements of tactics and some recommendations to the players.

As a proud supporter of Stade Francais, I am happy to introduce the authors E. Saint-Chaffray, who was captain of the team for its first “Champion de France” title in 1893, and Louis Dedet, a passionate pioneer who did a lot to promote the rugby game in France.

Actually, I am wondering why Louis Dedet is not publicly recognized as one of the "“godfathers”" of Rugby in France (such as Frantz Reichel for instance…). IMHO, some stadiums or schools should be named after him… Maybe one of these days I will write a book about those days of Rugby in Paris, and Louis Dedet would be one of the main characters…

Maybe some of you, dear readers, used to play in amateur teams, where things only happen thanks to the dedication, the efforts and the personal involvement of a few key people… Louis Dedet was one of these guys in the newly created Stade Francais at the end of the XIXth century…

On the pitch, he was one of the key forwards of the Stade Francais in its early days : championship final lost to Reichel'’s Racing Club de France in 1892, championship won in 1893 under the command of Saint-Chaffray, then champion again –as captain - in 1894, 1895 and 1901. He was also commanding the first French team to record a victory against a British one,i.e. Rosslyn Park FC, in 1894… After his career as a player, Dedet became a reputable referee.

Off the pitch, he joined the nascent “Union des Societes Francaises de Sports Athletiques” (USFSA, created in 1887) which is the very first attempt to promote sporting activities in France, especially in schools, colleges and universities. USFSA organized the very first championships in various sports (track and field, cycling, rowing,… and Football Rugby of course )… All this traction resulting in the organization of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens (kind of exotic rehearsal...) then in Paris in 1900, as USFSA was chaired by… Baron Pierre de Coubertin ! At USFSA, Louis Dedet did a lot to promote Football Rugby in schools (he was a teacher) and to spread the rules and tactics (a direct import from the UK..)

Please read below to know a little bit more about Louis Dedet...

Technorati Tags: rugby, dedet

French rugby blotter

Detail of an old French blotter ("buvard" for my French readers...) with a rugby theme.



Enjoy the quizz here : "Look for the ball"...



No need to send me the answer, there is no prize money...

Technorati Tags: rugby

Rugby-Pioneers : Season II

I am back !



Here we go again for a new season of rugby memorabilia, rugby postcards, rugby prints, etc... (1) !



I will try to expand the scope of Rugby-Pioneers.com introducing new
contents such as video, podcasts, links, books, etc... (but depending
on the ability of this hosting plateform to upgrade and enable these
fancy features...) But also maybe posting a little less often, say
twice a week for instance...



As such, my first post of the season is a book, as there is a lot of buzz around the 100th anniversary of the famous 1905 All Blacks tour...
During my summer holidays, I've read this wonderful "1905 ORGINALS" and
I strongly recommend all fans to read it with no delay (and it is very
reasonnably priced)... "The remarkable story of the team that went away
as the Colonials and came back as the All Blacks" (as subtitle reads)
comes as a diary of the tour where the journey (9 months between July
1905 and March 1906 !!), the life of the squad under the command of
manager G.H. Dixon and all the 35 games (in England, Scotland, Ireland,
France and the US !) are despicted and commented, richly illustrated
with tons of original pictures, photos, press clips and exotic
memorabilia... it renders all the passion around the tour and the All
Blacks... can you just imagine crowds of 70,000 at Crystal Palace
against England, or 50,000 at Arms Park against Wales and then 47.000
people 10 days later against Cardif, or 30,000 (including NZ Prime) in
the wharf of Auckland on the day of their return home.... (2)



Full details of the book :

1905 ORGINALS

by Bob Howitt and Diane Haworth

208 pages

ed. Harper Sports

on sale here (amazon.fr) or there (amazon.co.uk) (3).





(1) the more I repeat, the more search engines locate these pages....

(2) only 10,000 people in Paris (check this former post) but on a cold and rainy January 1st... not bad for the very first match of the newly created Equipe de France.

(3) my first attempt with Amazon affiliation program... maybe I will make zillion of dollars...

Technorati Tags: rugby

Australian rugby history !

Advertising !

I recently exchanged some mails with Mr Sean
Fagan, an Australian editor with a true passion for the early days of
rugby down under...


Sean is the author of several books (see the websites for details), and
the editor of several impressive websites that I recommend to visit : www.rl1908.com and www.colonialrugby.com.au.


And he was kind enough to send me those cards that I am displaying right now... !



Technorati Tags: rugby , rl1908

Singapore Cricket Club (repost from July 5, 2005)

No rugby memorabilia today, just a fine aerial picture of the Singapore Cricket Club ... For those who have never been to Singapore, it is this nice colonial building in the lower part of the picture...



Well, today and tomorrow the International Olympic Committee is in
Singapore to elect the city which will organize the 2012 Olympics. It
seems to be a close race between Paris and London, and I sincerely hope
that the Olympic Games will land in France... I would like to share
that with my kids... (if it is London, maybe we'll cross the Channel
but I won't be the same thing...).



All this fine people is gathered at the Raffles
hotel, which is about 500 yards north to the Cricket Club, on the
opposite side of this large pitch in central Singapore (called "the
padang") that you can see on my picture...



I like this place so much... actually, I used to play rugby there !



I had been living in Singapore for almost a year a loooong time ago (15
years ago, indeed..). Quite a exiting country, say... and possibly one
of my best experience as a (humble) rugby player to meet all those guys
from England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, etc... at the
Singapore Cricket Club Men's Bar...



PS : as you probably all know, it's very likely that rugby will be back
at the Olympics in 2008 or 2012 (most likely @ 7)... a long break since
1924 ...




Technorati Tags: rugby