All Blacks are Devils!!... I regularly display this great postcard showing "New Costume Suggested for the All Blacks" (1906)... at least everytime NZ plays vs France...:)
All Blacks are Devils!!... I regularly display this great postcard showing "New Costume Suggested for the All Blacks" (1906)... at least everytime NZ plays vs France...:)
This is not an usual "rugby-pioneers" post !
I'm helping Dave Dow, archivist at Swansea R.F.C. in Wales, to spread the word in the rugby memorabilia community that they had these four jerseys stolen from their clubhouse at the start of May, i.e.:
As Dave puts it:
Of the four jerseys, two are particularly special to us, Rowe Harding’s 1923 E/W v S/I at rugby School centenary jersey, and the 1924 Ireland jersey. The Japanese one and the Walker’s XV one are probably more valuable to the club that the general rugby collecting world. But where one turns up, others may follow.
It’s a long shot, but if you do happen to come across any talk of any of these jerseys being put up for sale, or any talk of the jerseys being in a location, would you be good enough to contact us through myself, direct to the club or to Swansea Police. I realise it’s very unlikely, but we’re determined to do all we can.
Thanks very much for your time.
Let's celebrate the new Champion of England 2013: "Leicester, England's brightest rose"...
These kind words aren't mine, but John Baines'... the famous late XIXth/early XXth cards publisher from Bradford... (click to enlarge)
Center of the card is Bobby Lewis, wearing a "1892" cap (Leicester or Midlands ?). I'm afraid that the web seems to be silent about this gentleman :(
This Bobby Lewis was probably a teammate of this E.Redman - what a modern attitude! - Leicester captain in 1895... here proudly wearing a nice "NS" i.e. "North v South" cap (representing North in 1892-93) in this wonderful "Famous Footballers" book
PS: and why not also share this small piece of Leicester memorabilia... a Churchman's cigarette card from the 20s showing the club colours and tie... That's the day, or never... :)
Yesterday was "ANZAC Day", when people in Australia and New Zealand commemorate their soldiers who fought in WW1 and WW2
I've found this interesting illustation in French newspaper "Excelsior" dated November 20th, 1916 in the middle of WW1 turmoil... the headline reads (in French...) "Australians, Warriors and Sportsmen" whereas the caption indicates "This curious snapshot was taken during a rugby match in England recently played between two teams of Australian soldiers (Anzac). We know that our allies have called 'Anzac' the Australian and Zealander troops that took a brilliant part in the Dardanelles campaign.")
Some research (thanks a lot Sean!) shows that this was a charity game - known as the "Pioneer Exhibition Game" - held at Queen's Club in South Kensington on October 28th, 1916 to raise money for British and French Red Cross. The game was played in front of an estimated crowd of 3,000 which included the (then) Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) and King Manuel II of Portugal (source wikipedia)
Actually, it was not rugby - my newspaper was misleading! - but Australian Rules... two ANZAC units forming a 18 players team, most of them coming from main VFA/VFL clubs: Melbourne, Geelong, Fitzroy, St Kilda, Collingwood... ("footy" history is quite complicated...cf wipedia again...)
Australian War Memorial has kept two great pictures of the teams... both of them showing wonderful jerseys !
Here is the "Australian Training Units" team, led by Captain (Capt) Chaplain Charles Julius Perry (played for Norwood) wearing a red jersey with a "giant" kangaroo...
And here is the "Third Australian Divisional" team, led by Lieutenant (Lt) Bruce Moses Farquhar Sloss (played for South Melbourne) wearing a blue jersey with an "giant" Australian map... and winner of the game by 4 goals and 12 behinds (36 points)...
Lets also notice that this game was organised by Australian Olympic swimmer Lt Franck Beaurepaire (hey, a French name!)... 7 Olympic medals won in London (1908, aged 17), Antwerp (1920) and Paris (1924)!... and later Lord Mayor of Melbourne in 1940...
For the record - and to have their names being remembered - let me also list the players.
Third Australian Divisional team: Identified, but position unknown, are Lieutenant (Lt) Bruce Moses Farquhar Sloss (played for South Melbourne), captain (killed in action 4 January 1917); Lt John Brake (University); Dan Minogue (former captain of Collingwood); C Willis (South Melbourne); L Little (Melbourne); William Isaac Sewart (Essendon); J Pugh (Launceston); H M Moyes (St Kilda); P J Jory (St Kilda); C Lilley (Melbourne); L E Lee (Richmond); Cyril Louis Hoft (Perth); L Martin (University); R Alley (Williamstown); H James (Richmond); B H Mills (Brunswick); J Foy (Perth); Lt W Orchard (Geelong)
Third Australian Divisional team: Identified, but position unknown, are Captain (Capt) Chaplain Charles Julius Perry (played for Norwood), team captain; John Thomas (Jack) Cooper (former captain, Fitzroy) (later killed 20 September 1917); PC Trotter (Fremantle); J Donaldson (Essendon); H Kerly (Collingwood); J Hoskins (Melbourne); H Boyd; S C Martin (University); H C Cosnvi? (Association); C Armstrong (Geelong); J Scullin (South Fremantle); Malfield ( Fremantle); T A Paine (Northam; E Beames; J Bower (Port Melbourne); McDonald (Essendon); Lieutenant Colonel Jackson (South Australia); H Moore (South Australia). Field umpires: Coporal Gray and G Barry.
Boundary umpires: T S Hewitt and E J Watts. Goal umpires: Lieutenant H Olsen and S M Keen.
All the details of the game are known because a programme of the match was published at the time, and now kept at National Library of Australia as "Pioneer Exhibition Game Australian Football : in aid of British and French Red Cross Societies : 3rd Australian Division v. Australian Training Units at Queen's Club, West Kensington, on Saturday, October 28th, 1916, at 3pm" (record here). This record indicates that this 12 pages programme was richly illustrated, including this "Sport and War - The advantage of the High Mark" by Will Dyson that I was fortunate enough to find on the web in a working document from University of London (credit below)... Nice illustration indeed!
Edit 28/4: Sean has uncovered a British Pathé video showing that game and ceremony - magic and moving! Here it is...
Credit to Australian War Memorial for team pictures and names of players - and many thanks, mates, for sharing it under CC-BY-NC 3.0 AU licence!
Credit to Carol Mills, Univeristy of London, for his/her paper on "Expatriates Australian Black & White artists: Ruby and Will Dyson 1909-1919"
100 years ago, Aviron Bayonnais (Bayonne) became French Champion for the first time of its short history.
That day, April 20th 1913, the team led by its captain Fernand Forgues and its Welsh playmaker Harry Owen Roe crushed its Parisian opponent SCUF 31-8 (detailed stats at finalesrugby.com - thank you Eric and David) showing 'stunning brio, amazing audacity and, most of all, staggering skill' as Racing Club de France captain Gaston Lane put it...
Please read Huw Richards' excellent article on espnscrum.com about how the players from Bayonne managed to blend the best of Welsh rugby tactics with their native Basque skills,
As Huw explains: "It was, in other words, a foretaste of the way the best French players and teams were to amaze and alarm opposing players and fans over the next century - far from the only French tradition, but the one for which they have been most recognised and admired."
The early days of Aviron Bayonnais, Forgues, Roe etc... are one of my favorite topics already discussed here ("La Methode Bayonnaise") or there ("The Welshmen from France", "Aviron Bayonnais 1914") over the past five years or so...
So here's another portfolio of pictures to celebrate this 100th anniversary!
First is French sports weekly "Plein Air" (April 24th 1913) showing the winning team on its cover. Click to get larger pictures of inner pages (page1 / page2) with match details.
News magazine "Le Monde Illustré" brings superlative comments about the Basque team (sorry, in French!) (large pic)
Here are the players as portayed in "Plein Air" the week before (April 19th)
Some team postcards of Aviron Bayonnais:
I like this last card very much... signed by Fernand Forgues on the front and by the all team on the back... nice memorabilia!
He's a great find submitted to us by fellow rugby historian and collector Stuart Quinn in Hull. It's a lovely and colourful illustrated card (larger pic here) depicting a "North v South" game in the late 1880s or early 1890s... It shows no print on the back nor info about publisher or origin... Any input welcome!
Funnily, this nice illustration of dramatic rugby action doesn't show an actual "North v South" game... as it is copied from this other reknowned artwork by Messrs Overend and Smythe (below), i.e. England v Scotland played in Edinburgh in 1886. A mural reproduction of the original hangs in the Library of the Scottish Rugby Union at Murrayfield... (and I don't remember who I should credit for my modern repro...)
Rev.F.Marshall's reference book "Football - the Rugby Union Game" indicates that this yearly game started as early as 1874 (played in Rugby on Januay 20th - drawn, nothing scored !).
Stuart and I would be very happy to know more about these "North v South" games. History, background, anecdots... any document around to be shared here?
Quickly browsing my pictures, I can only share a few press clippings (illustrations or photos) relating the "North v South" game in 1900, 1903 or 1893 below (larger pic here), i.e. a fine engraving by S.T.Dadd captioned "North v South at Manchester" and published in The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News Dec.23,1893. For the records, North won by 2 goals 2 tries (16 points) to 3 tries (9 points) that day...
Incidentally, one of the etchings shows England and North player Dickie - The World's Wonders - Lockwood (full bio)... another opportunity to enjoy these fine Victorian rugby cards!
PS: New Zealand has been also playing "North v South" games since 1897, but that's another story !
Parc des Princes, March 22nd 1906 : France and England playing the first match of a long lasting rivalry...
This was only the second international game for France, a few months after having hosted an inaugural game vs Gallaher's All Blacks on January 1st... a game which proved that Froggies could be a decent opponent for England. Yet, the match was played on a Thursday: RFU was keen to play in Paris, but not ready to modify the agenda of clubs games traditionally playing on Saturdays!
This game opened the way for other Home Unions to play vs France, i.e. Wales in 1908, Ireland in 1909 and at last Scotland in 1910.
On my photography (click to enlarge), both teams are friendly mixing up outside the changing rooms of the old Parc des Princes. French players wear for the first time a light blue jersey, embroided with "USFSA" (the predecessor to FFR) blue and red rings, while English players show their traditional kit.
Final score 8-35 (2T 1C - 9T 4C) is anecdotical... full stats are here...
Some famous faces of pre-ww1 rugby are here like Adrian Stoop (above, left), John Raphael or Vincent Cartwright for England... Gason Lane (capt.above, right), 18 years old Marcel Communeau or Emile Lesieur for France.
The three referees, Louis Dedet and Cyril Rutherford (yes, an Englishman in Paris...) for USFSA, and George Rowland-Hill for RFU were also to "godfathers" in their respective rugby unions...(below a double page in La Vie Au Grand Air, March 1906)
Two rugby "trivia" about this game if you want to challenge your friends!
Let me first notice that no less than three foreign players were playing in this Equipe de France: Englishman William Crichton and Welshman Ernest Lewis, both playing in Le Havre, and American Allan Muhr (upper left corner below), first try scorer for France in the history of all "Crunches"... later a famous official of USFSA and FFR who died in a nazi camp in 1944...
Let me also mention that three Black rugby players were selected for this "original" Crunch, Georges Jérome (bottom right corner) and André Verges (bottom left corner) both from Stade Français for France, and James "Darkie" Peters (upper right corner) for England... all of these three gentlemen being the first Black sportsmen to earn an international rugby cap for their respective countries.
And now waiting for the 97th France v England next Saturday in Twickenham!! (*)
(*) Since 1906, England leads by 52 won, 37 lost and 7draw... but since WW2, France leads by 35 won, 34 lost and 6 draw... If Englands wins next saturday, both teams will be "leveled" over the past 70 years of rugby...
All of a sudden, I came out with a useless "collector" question... what are the oldest rugby stamps?
And it's pretty easy to answer because my fellow collector Derry W. has already gathered all possible information available about stamps on his website "rugby on stamps". And to be honest, all pictures - except the stamp above - belong to Derry... Thanks a lot (and I hope you won't mind my borrowing...)
The World oldest rugby stamp, a pretty unexpected "winner"..., was issued in Romania in 1944 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Romanian Rugby Union (FRR - formerly CFR as detailed here - in Romanian, so ask google for translation...)
Here's the "Top 10":
1. Romania, 1944 (above)
2. Fiji, 1951
3. Japan, 1953
4. France, 1956
5. Romania (again), 1959
6. Czechoslovakia, 1961
7. Samoa, 1962
8. Korea, 1963
9. South Africa, 1964
10. South Africa, 1964
Interstingly, no stamps before ww2 and no stamps from Home Unions, nor New Zealand nor Australia...
The present Ladies Stand was completed. The Ned Gregory Scoreboard was built.
Rugby matches were played at the SCG in this period..New Zealand played Combined suburbs XVII in 1884 at the ground. This was the first overseas tour. New Zealand played 3 matches at SCG in 1897 (year after the scoreboard was built) ...so we can assume the new scoreboard was used. Will search for images
Michael Fahey
I tackle the jobwith the greatest of gleeIn touch with Good Luckat all Points may you beA jolly Good Run through a Scrum-ptious Yule...May you Take all your Chancesand Score a Fine Goal
Here's my tribute to Dubai 7s being played today... a full set of photographies + tournament program from Middlesex 7s played at Twickenham in April 1934, eventually won by the Barbarians...
No comment... Enjoy!
NB: please read this old note for some insights into the birth of 7s rugby in Scotland (Melrose 7s...) and the history of Middlesex 7s (since 1926)
Some French memorabilia again... A calendar of French Championship 1928-29 offered by winemaker BYRRH near Perpignan.
Motto reads "Generous Wine with Quinine - Recommended to Families and Sportsmen"... There's a book to write about the relationships between rugby and alcoholic beverages - at least in France!
From a rugby standpoint, French championship 1928-29 (Pool round A : 8 pools x 5 clubs - Pool round B : 8 pools x 3 clubs - QF / SF / Final ) went to Quillan... so far, the smallest town (3,500 hab.) to have won French Championship... a team set-up by local entrepreneur Jean Bourel accused of poaching players in rival clubs, as well as by-passing strict amateurism rules... but that's another story!