"The Red Virgin" was born on a March 31st

100 years ago, on March 31st 1912, Stade Toulousain (founded just four years before) became French champion for the first time, defeating Racing Club de France 8-6 in final (stats here)

As Stade Toulousain had remained undefeated over the whole 1911-12 season, the team was quickly celebrated as "La Vierge Rouge", i.e. "The Red Virgin"...

This said, I have no idea why "The Red Virgin" was impersonated as "Zezette" (quite a stupid nickname in French...) on this local postcard published a few days after the final!

Let's also share some views of the final featuring some of the finest players in French pre-ww1 rugby: Mouniq, Mayssonnié, Struxiano for Toulouse vs Lane, Faillot and Géo André for Paris...

Seven men from this final were soon to killed in action during ww1. Let's remember them: Joseph Servat, André Moulines and Alfred Mayssonnié for Toulouse... Marcel Burgun, Paul Descamps, Pierre Guillemin and Gaston Lane for Paris... (not forgetting Géo André, k.i.a. during ww2).

And special mention to Marc Giaccardy, the referee of the 1912 final wearing jacket and cap on the postcard above.... Giaccardy, journalist by profession, five times champion with Bordeaux between 1899 and 1909 (stats here), died in 1917 during the Battle of Verdun. His grave in a forest nearby was honoured some months ago by the local rugby committee (cf pictures in my ww1 forum in French here + local newspaper report).

And special thanks to Denis aka Zelaian who gave me the idea of this post...

Comments

[comme fou]

Ca en revanche, c'est fort de café ! Qui savait la date de naisse de Zézette ? Trop fort, le Fred !

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

Zézette... épouse X !

(c) Antoine, qui me l'a soufflé!

[Charlie Cochrane]

Just discovered your site. It's like a treasure trove. What got me about this post was seeing the name Servat for Toulouse. Thank you for posting these gems.

Charlie (Saracens and Toulouse supporter, huge fan of Ronnie Poulton Palmer)

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

Hi Charlie,

Thanks for your kind words !

If youd like to browse some old pictures of Stade Toulousain, pay a visit to my Flickr gallery (poor indexing, I agree...) http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=27925507%40N00q=toulouse+or+toulousainm=text ... Im afraid that I have far less pictures of Ronnie Poulton Palmer (I have a copy of his recently published biography not far away...)  http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=27925507%40N00q=poultonm=text and just nothing about Saracens !! (except a digital copy of this wonderful painting http://rugby-pioneers.blogs.com/rugby/2011/07/art-rugby-at-sothebys.html that, as Ive been told..., was purchased by Nigel Wray last year !!)

I also discuss rugby memorabilia at www.facebook.com/rugbypioneers

Cheers

Frederic

[Charlie Cochrane]

Thanks, Frederic. I suspect that some of my 1970's rugby stuff is now bordering on memorabilia!

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

no ! give it another 40 years...