Its buried away a bit on a rugby history blog. Apparently women's rugby - or at least a version of rugby - was quite popular in northern France in the 20s.
You do wonder what happened to the game - it was a significant spectator sport, it seems - enough to warrant large posters advertising games on the sides of buildings (see left).
There again women's football in England was also a very popular spectator sport at this time, so much so that the FA banned it! Maybe women's rugby in France suffered in a similar way?
The blog suggests that the game filmed may be a version of rugby that the French called "barette", which theoretically did not allow full tackling but only "blocking" - it has been compared to touch rugby - but if that is so then going by this video it seems quite vigorous blocking. In fact, looking at the rules for barette, I think the blog is wrong and what is in the video is actually proper rugby, all be it not 15-a-side (nothing changes, then!).
you would of fort after 80 yrs that girls rugby would be more bigger than would it is
ReplyDeleteand there be more teams
and it be like boys/mans teams
=(
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI am back from holidays and finding your post.
A rugby historian, actually teaching history of sports in Lille, recently explained me that French grils where playing a 10-a-side rugby in the 1920s, without tackling though allowing vigourous blocking as you said !
Lille girls happended to be once French Champion, he said, but I never managed to find any information online about it...