RCF v SF : French Rugby was born in Paris

Next Saturday, the two oldest French rugby clubs (not to account for British expats teams like Le Havre, nor junior school teams created earlier...) - Stade Français and Racing Club de France -  will play against each other in the last game of French "Top14" pro rugby championship before play-offs... a remake of the very first final of French championship back in 1892 - they were the only contenders, I admit - 

Say, an opportunity to post again this fine picture - a long time favorite ! - showing the same teams in their Oxbridge colours (Stade Français in dark blue - RCF in light blue hoops) at "La Faisanderie" home of Stade Français (inside Parc de Saint Cloud, near Paris) at the turn of the 1900s... 

Actually, this picture is a calendar page from French retailer "La Belle Jardinière" published in 1906... Caption reads "Le Foot Ball : Partie de Championnat au Parc de Saint Cloud"... Larger pic here and zoom below...

Stade Français (Champion 1893, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1901) and Racing Club de France (Champion 1892, 1900, 1902) have ruled over French rugby until the rise of Bordeaux, Lyons and Toulouse in the early 1900s... their players and officials (Frantz Reichel, Louis Dedet, Cyril Rutherford and so many others...) had played a tremendous role to promote rugby football in France, to structure and organise French Rugby Union and rugby competitions at USFSA (French Sports Union), to develop international relationships with Home Countries - and learn from them ! -, to widespread (my dear old books....) rules, tactics and training methods all round...

French rugby was born in Paris...

Comments

[lôtre]

J'ai vu cette belle illustration sur le site à @sebchabal :

http://www.sebastienchabal.fr/racing-metro-92-une-histoire-un-renouveau/

Je me suis dit, "Tiens ?!? j'ai déjà vu ce genre d'image quelquepart" J'ai vérifié et c'est exactement la même, (Tu l'avais mis en bannière si je me souviens bien )
Comme quoi @Sebchabal est un geek un peu bourru et abrupt parfois, mais il a du gout :)

[Frederic (www.rugby-pioneers.com)]

j'ai même l'impression que @sebchabal a utilisé l'image Wikipedia... qui vient de chez moi...
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Stade_Fran%C3%A7ais_history.jpg

bon, maintenant, c'est pas moi qui vais lui en faire reproche !