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

This book was written in 1906 (mine is not the original edition, as it is a 1907 reprint… ) 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...