In Defence of French Rugby: Part 2

Some of this natural rebelliousness stems from some Southerners not feeling French at all, instead considering themselves to be either Catalan or Basque. It wouldn’t be hyperbole to suggest that the only way these proud populations can express themselves on a wider stage is through sport. Barcelona Football Club are obviously the main focus for Catalans and while Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà (USAP) are smaller, their fans are equally as committed and the Stade Aimé Giral is one of the most intimidating venues I have ever visited.

Where the Catalans have one team to focus their attention on, the Basques are spoilt for choice. L’Aviron Bayonnais are the first, and their name points to a past where multisport clubs abounded. Clearly some Basque rowing chaps decided they quite fancied this rugby lark so they grouped up and formed a rugby section. The same happened in Paris at Racing Club de France and certainly elsewhere. Biarritz Olympique are their supercilious neighbours. Such is the strength of Basque feeling that Biarritz transport their bigger matches to San-Sebastien, a couple of hours over the Spanish border. Rumour has it that Bayonne were keen to ‘host’ a Top 14 derby against Biarritz in San Sebastien at the Stade Anoeta. Instead, Biarritz influence in the LNR (League National de Rugby) ensured that the first derby of the season had Biarritz at home. They duly moved the derby over the border and became the first side to host a derby there. Such rumours are plentiful and widely believed.

Influence is brought about partly by tradition and history, but also by money. Money is flowing into the sport because people want to watch it, they want to see it and the product improves because of the money, as the money flows in because of the world class players. The other week, Toulouse hosted Racing Métro, during the World Cup. Where most other teams are fielding inexperienced, unknown young players, this class featured names like Jauzion, McAlister, Poitrenaud, Nyanga, Bobo, Delasau, Cronje. Every league in the world taking place during the world cup is suffering but the Top 14 is bearing up relatively well.

French rugby and money is not a new phenomenon. 

The French national side were, of course, expelled from the 5 Nations at the beginning of the 20^th Century and again came very close in the 1950s for some bending of the strictly amateur code that pervaded the sport.

Then there is the story of Quillan. Quillan is a town situated on the road between Carcasonne and Perpignan and has only 4000 inhabitants. But in 1928, they stormed the upper reaches of the French championship, losing in final of the Bouclier de Brennus to Section Paloise, otherwise known as Pau. The following year they won the final before coming second again in 1930. This in itself is not unusual, clubs often chart a meteoric rise before a fall. But in the case of Quillan, their rise was atypical.

There was a hat factory in the town, and the owner of this factory was a wealthy man. He enticed the best rugby players in the land to play for Quillan as he gave them well-paid jobs in the upper reaches of the factory.

This was the sort of thing that begun to happen in the rest of the rugby world in the 1980s and 90s but we can see that ‘shamateurism’ was alive and well in France fifty years earlier.