"rugby-pioneers" is moving... tonight !!

If your bookmark is "www.rugby-pioneers.com", then you have nothing to do... it will be automatically redirected in a couple of hours or so...

My new web site is now at http://rugby-pioneers.blogs.com

I have copied/pasted much of the previous site over there so to keep record of all what has been posted before...

If you have a RSS reader, please subscribe to my new feed : http://rugbypioneers.blogs.com/rugby/index.rdf

Please tell your friends, and the friends of your friends...

See you there very soon... and please leave a comment on the new site to give your feedback ... !



edited 27/02 ...

2005 was celebrating the All Blacks, 100 years after their famous tour to Great Britain, France and the US.

2006 will celebrate the Springboks, who toured in Europe the following year.

Even though the Springbols were not as impitoyable as their fellow colonials from New Zealand (24 v, 3 def including a test match against Scotland), some believe this team was possibly more complete and stronger than the 'Original" All Blacks...

I have a couple of prints or cards to illustrate the topic over the next few days...

I am away from home this week.

My Wi-Fi is down... I don't know where's the nearest internet cafe...

So this is possibly my last post of the week... using my mobile phone...

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...

Another French advertising postcard with a rugby theme, by illustrator Mich.

No date, but possibly around 1910 (it's my guess... just tell me if you have more informations).

Mich did a lot a sporting prints, such as this other one (which hangs in ... my living-room...)

Another wonderful newspaper print from Dedet's team, touring in Great Britain in February 1899.

The caption only refers to "The French Rugby Football team now in England" but I am sure that you all have recognized my favourite team... (actually, I am sure that the seller of the print didn't, otherwise he would have asked for more money...)

My regular readers will recognize Louis Dedet, sitting in the middle as the Captain, or Henri Amand standing with the white scarf (he was the singer of the gang, so protecting his throat during winter... he once explained it was also the reason for him to wear a beard...). I am investigating to identify the others (any help will be welcome...)

The credits below the caption indicate that this picture was shot in Dublin, where Stade Francais played against University of Dublin on February 2nd 1899 (and lost 0 - 9), but the picture was published later in an English newspaper a couple of days before playing against the famous Barbarians on February 15 (and an other defeat for the Froggies... 0 - 33)

As you can see, Dedet, Amand and three other gentlemen are wearing caps... According to internal rules edicted by the Stade Francais at the time, only players who had won at least two "Championnat de France" titles AND who had participated to an international victory were entitled to wear the cap... tough ! The rules were later softened (in 1906) so that a player could deserve the cap "just" by winning one "Championnat de France" OR two "Championnat de Paris"... no pain, no gain...

Well, if you have such a cap to sell... please drop me a mail... I need to replace this one...

Full title of the postcard is "Une partie de Football au Vatican".

I will not comment too much... my friend Jerome doesn't like when it turns blasphemous...

Well, this nice scrum reminds us of the election of Pope Pius X ("Pie X" in French) in 1903... maybe a suggestion for next conclave...

In association with my friend Julien Codorniou, we are organizing a dinner in Paris next February 23rd to gather some rugby fans in the "blogosphere".

You all are welcome, please register by letting a comment below.

Time and venue will be decided later.

Confirmed guest (as of January 30) :

Pierre Salviac
Jeremy Moritz
Jacques Froissant
Rodrigo Sepulveda Schultz
Charles Liebert + Demoizelle
Alexandre Mottet

Having said that, a short comment on this colorfull rugby print dated 1881, issued by Boy's Own Magazine.

Maybe you will recognize it next time you pay me a visit at my office as it hangs on my wall...

Please also notice that both "football rugby" and "football association" players are portrayed on this print captionned "Famous English Football Players 1881", but that ruggers represent the vast majority of them... (actually all of them but two)

Another advertising postcard with a rugby theme, from "aperitif" wine maker Byrrh.

Byrrh is still on the market today... You can visit their cellar either online (they have the largest oak barrel in the world... 1 000 200 liters !) or "in real life" in this wonderful part of France - they are located in Pyrenees-Orientales "French Catalonia", same as the competitor mentioned in my previous post.

Jean-Luc, do you want to add something about Perpignan and your homeland ?

French rugby postcard advertising for an "aperitif" ("Trilles" from Perpignan, Pyrenees-Orientales), from a time when rugby and heavy drinking were often synonymous...

In fact, I don't know when this card was issued... I guess in the 30s...

Yes, cricket...

I proud myself to be one of the few Frenchmen who understand something about cricket... not everything of course (hey ! I am French...), but enough to enjoy it...

Maybe a recollection of this great time I had 15 years ago... at the Singapore Cricket Club ...

Actually, illustrator Tom Browne did a lot of fine rugby comic postcards like this one or that one... that I will (re)post sooner or later...

No comment, it's not rugby...

Yes ... stupid, but old...

Penguins playing balls...

Why... ? No guess, but I have a hint... This postcard is not French... it comes from Belgium...

Actually a fairly strange French rugby postcard...

I just don't know when and where this young man was playing rugby(possibly in Avignon were this card was found)... But I am sure that you will all appreciate this stylish way to prepare a throw-in...

(PS I don't have much time to post new images these days.. Sorry !! But the good news is that I have found a lot a new postcards over the last week-end... Got to scan them now...)

A very fine French rugby trade card, advertising for "Chocolat Revillon"

Arty and classy !

No date, I am afraid...

Another rugby print of Frantz Reichel from "“La Vie Au Grand Air"”, 1903.

I have done some homework to give you a more detailed bio of this eclectic sportsman.

Reichel (1871-1932) is first known as a rugger, captain of the Racing Club de France, then of the SCUF (until 1906), and founder of the "Federation Francaise de Rugby"” (French Rugby Union) in 1905. He was also an athlete, a boxer (founder of the "Federation Francaise de Boxe"” in 1903), a gymnast, a fencer and a pioneer of car and aviation...

He was a journalist at "Le Figaro" (founder of the sports column), l'Auto-Velo” , Le Sport Illustré..., then President of the AIPS - International association of the Sporting Press from 1924 to 1932.

Being the General Secretary of USFSA (Union des Sociétés Francaises de Sports Athletiques) before WW1, he was responsible for the overall organization of amateur sports in France, in a system ("Federations"” i.e. "“Unions" in the U.K.”) that still prevails today.

He was General Secretary of the executive organization committee of the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris - and he also sponsored the first winter Olympics in Chamonix. He took part to the creation of the French National Olympic Sports Committee (CNOSF).

In France, French rugby championship for "- 18 years old" is named after him (since 1931) to celebrate his contribution to the game.

Key facts of his "sporting resume"” are :

- Rugby : Champion de France in 1892 and 1900 with the RCF.

- Rugby : received cap n°2 of newly formed Equipe de France, without taking part to this match against the All Blacks (similarly to Louis Dedet of Stade Francais, international cap n°3 who was the referee of that match !). Indeed, I do consider that Reichel and Dedet are the "godfathers" of rugby in France...

- Olympic Games : ran the 400m and the 110m hurdles in Athens (1896), rugby Olympic title in 1900 in Paris ;

- Cross-Country : French champion in 1890 and 1891

- 110m hurdles : French champion in 1891

- 1 km walking : French champion in 1893

- "One “hour"” recordman in 1892 (with 16 500 meters on June 20, then 16 611 meters on November 6)

- Aviation : recordman of the longest flight with two passengers on October 3, 1908, with American Wilbur Wright as pilot.

Another newspaper print from that 1893 French rugby tour in England, portraying Frantz Reichel of Racing Club de France, proud captain of that team !

Doesn't he look formidable ?

Reichel was a journalist and a true sportsman, from tracks & fields to rugby, from boxing to aviation, from fencing to gymnastic...

He also took managerial responsibilities in the Olympic organisation and in the organisation of sports in France.

I will give more informations in a next post...

To follow on my previous post, here is the first French team ever gathered to play an international rugby match, in England, after Stade Francais opened the road the previous year playing against Rosslyn Park of London.

It is not a real "Equipe de France" as all the guys come from Paris teams only (ie 9 from Stade Francais, 9 from Racing Club de France, plus 2 from minor clubs). The captain is Frantz Reichel, a great sportsman who was a founder and the captain of Racing Club de France (later he became Chairman of RCF and Secretaire General of the 1924 Olympics in Paris : he is the one who decided to build the "Stade de Colombes" to help the French Olympic Comitte which was running out of money....). Standing on his right is Louis Dedet, his "alter ego" of Stade Francais, who is portayed on my blog here and there. Sitting on Reichel's left is Henri Amand, who was on my blog... last Sunday pictured in 1906, 13 years later, for his last match, as captain of the first "real" Equipe de France against Gallaher & co... (almost the same jersey... all these gentlemen were very close from Coubertin and the Olympic organization...).

The Frenchies on tour played two games in February 1893 :
- 13 feb vs Civil Service RFC in London, lost one try to nil
- 14 feb vs Park House FC in Blackheath, lost four tries + two goals to one try

Credit to John "Ovalballs" for the print ! Thanks !

Today, the "Equipe de France" is 100 years old !

On a cold and rainy afternoon, fly-half Henri Amand from Stade Français ("cap" number 1, pictured here) captained the very first Equipe de France to play against the famous Gallaher's All Blacks at the Parc des Princes (8-38 to NZ... but two tries for the Frenchies against a team that didn't conceed much during this famous tour ...)

It is not my first post on this topic (here or there...) but I couldn't let this anniversary uncelebrated...

This Equipe de France was the first attempt to put together the best players in France (coming from Stade Français, Racing Club de France, Stade Bordelais, F.C. Lyon, S.O.E. Toulouse, Havre A.C.), instead of just gathering Parisian players only as it was the case for other international games in the past.

Having said that, imagine that these guys never played or trained together before this event, some of the players having reached Paris by train just minutes before the match...

(NB : Amand's picture is part of a trade card series of famous sportsmen published by retailer Felix Potin)

I recently purchased some Baines rugby trade cards (real collector stuff, I admit !)

These cards are part of an outstanding rugby trade card collection issued in Northern England at the corner of the XXth century.

You can see more than 300 Baines cards on LDauctions website (actually, it's where I have bought these cards...). Most of them are far nicer that mines... I am a little bit jealous...

I took the freedom to copy/paste the following explanations from LDauction website :

"John Baines of Manningham, Bradford began producing collectors cards in 1887. Rugby, Football (Soccer), Golf and Cricket were the mainstays. However, even school football got a look in! Sold in packets of six, the cards were avidly collected by generations of schoolboys. Baines encouraged the obsession by offering prizes to the person who returned the largest number of cards to his North Parade base. The craze hits its zenith in the 1920s when a staggering 13.5m cards were sold across the North and Scotland. Baines retired when he sold his business to a Barnsley concern in the late 1920s"

Some other Baines cards to see at Ovalballs or here.