Rugger Girls: Part 11. 1986 - France celebrates 20 years of women's rugby

1980s: WHEN YOU ENJOY IT, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE 20 YEARS...

Eleventh chapter of the summary of the history of women's rugby in France, from the book "Rugger Girls"("Des Filles en Ovalie"), written by Jacques B. Corti and Yaneth Pinilla Foreword by Serge Betsen. Published weekly(ish) by French women's rugby blog Des Filles en Ovalie.

1986 was a year of great celebration. French women's rugby celebrated 20 years since the formation of the Violets of Bressan. 120 players took part in an anniversary event that was coupled with the General Assembly of the FFR. Only one shadow of concern disturbs this idyllic picture: Henry Fléchon (the guiding force for most of the two decades) has fallen seriously ill.

The newsletter continues to develop and include big news. The "Beyond Borders" section, which covers initiatives from other countries, tells how participation is increasing elsewhere: "As far as national women's federations, France is no longer alone with Holland! The Italian women have formed a league! The British too! "

On the strictly national teams, potential adversaries are also becoming much more numerous. "Competition is growing internationally with the creation of teams from Sweden, Spain, U.S., and Germany."

It was also during 1986 that there is a small but significant change to the national team's badge. The acronym "AFRF" disappears, being replaced with that of the FFR*, who had taken over the running of women's rugby a couple of years before. Its design, however, does not change: a rose on white background surrounded by red and blue.

Extract from the book "Des Filles en Ovalie", Editions Atlantica (2005), Written by Jacques Corte / Yaneth Pinilla B. Foreword by Serge Betsen.

*Note that it would be more than 20 years later before women's teams from England would wear the badge of the RFU!