A history of British rugby clubs’ early forays in Europe

Intrepid rugbymen travelled over La Manche, in pre-aeroplane days, by steamer (often causing mal de mer), train and charabanc on trips that lasted almost a week for a solitary fixture. Newspapers printed itineraries: sightseeing and feasts, with ordained toasts at dinner and songs at the piano, and travel and accommodation organised by Mr Thomas Cook and Son. These were diplomatic affairs of banquets and bonhomie, but also plenty of disquiet from referee interpretations, crowd behaviour or rough play. Topics of interest for British reporters included the lack of cohesion between French players and the prevalence of beards.

Rosslyn Park travelled to face Stade Français in 1892 and seven years later Swansea became the first Welsh club to make the trip, when French play was risible by British standards. “Towards the end the Frenchmen grew desperate, and, according to the mayor of Swansea, played rather more roughly than was necessary as the cut lips of some of the Welshmen testify,” a newspaper reported. Many in Wales were unhappy that a Welsh club had violated the Sabbath by playing on a Sunday, and within a fortnight the matter was tabled at the Welsh Rugby Union’s general meeting.

Among the other Welsh tourists were Mountain Ash and Penarth, beating the likes of Bayonne, Brive and Pau. Eight weeks after France played their first Test against the All Blacks in 1906, Treherbert lost to Stade Français in a double-header with Cardiff and “All France” at Parc des Princes.

In this age of exploration, Bath, Devonport Albion and Gloucestershire hosted Racing Club de France, Cheltenham beat Tarbes and Gloucester beat Toulouse. Stade Bordelais Université Club, the dominant French side of the decade, lost 21-5 at home to Cardiff in 1909 — a match for which lectures were brought forward by one hour so that the students could arrive in time for a 4pm kick-off.

Shrovetide was a regular occasion for matches, and in 1912 there was a trio of fixtures: Stade Français versus Cardiff, Stade Bordelais versus Pontypool, and Toulouse versus East Midlands. The following year’s fixture between Monmouthshire and Stade Bordelais ended with four Britons in French gaols and fines of 50 francs. Depending on which report you trust, they were either minding their own business en route back to their hotel from the post-match banquet, or they were merrily knocking on strangers’ doors. Either way, the police didn’t like it, and a fracas ensued.

The programme from Newport’s match against Bayonne in 1960

ELGAN ALDERMAN

After the First World War, there were Christmas tours and commemorations of allied efforts, as in 1922 when Racing faced Blackheath on Boxing Day and Leicester Tigers two days later. The Parisians’ December fixture against Newport in 1927 ended 0-0, the highlight being when a Frenchman’s knickerbockers were ripped off and thrown away.

A chance association with Martell, the oldest of the “big four” Cognac houses, took Bristol abroad in 1924 to face US Cognacaise. Three years later Cognac made the reverse trip, with Monsieur Guerra, a French teacher at Bristol Grammar School, acting as interpreter. While the Bristolians spent time atop the Eiffel Tower, the Frenchmen visited Clifton Suspension Bridge.

In the 1970s the South West struck up a relationship with Club Athlétique Bordeaux-Bègles Gironde, who faced Clifton — as part of centenary celebrations — and Bristol. Bègles returned three years later to beat Gloucester and Bath, and lose to Clifton, in the space of five days. The Times wondered if “a night out with the genial Clifton chairman” had affected their form.

It was not just France who presented continental opposition. Long after SC 1880 Frankfurt faced Blackheath in 1894, there were several tours for Anglo-Welsh clubs to Romania, and the hosting of Germany and Italy XVs.

James, who coached the Lions in 1971, went on European tours with Swansea and Llanelli during his time as a player

REX FEATURES

In 1954, Carwyn James was in a Swansea squad that went behind the Iron Curtain, marking ten years of liberation with fixtures against Locomotiva and Constructorul in Bucharest. They won both games, despite struggling in 32C heat in front of a crowd of 45,000 in the opener. Three years later, Llanelli — again with James, a Russian speaker — faced Czechoslovakia and Romania in Moscow as part of the International Friendly Youth Games, the subject of an S4C documentary some years ago. They were treated well, but the foreign press accused Llanelli of thinking more about caviar and vodka than rugby.

Violence marred plenty of fixtures. Elfed Rees of the Neath Guardian regarded the 1955 fixture between Aberavon and Province d’Auvergne as “the most murderous and barbaric ‘game’ I have ever had the misfortune to witness”. Neath hosted Béziers in 1988 for the Keith Morris testimonial, a win for the Welshmen in which Christian Garcia, the Béziers hooker, was sent off five minutes before half-time after being warned for headbutting.

The All Blacks’ tempest continued in August 1989 at a pre-season tournament in France. Their match against Brive was the curtain-raiser for Bath’s 16-11 win over Toulouse, although Neath did not finish it because their players walked off after 36 minutes on account of the standard of refereeing. Both their locks had been dismissed, along with a Brive player, after a series of brawls.

The itinerary book from Cardiff’s 1909 trip to play Stade Bordelias University Club

CARDIFF RUGBY MUSEUM

The chaos resumed in January 1990 when Bristol hosted Bègles once more. From 30-0 down Bègles scored four tries in nine minutes, despite having 13 men on the field, as the hosts focused on not getting hit. Laurent Bernard shoved the referee (and tried to sneak back on), and Eric Nogues landed a punch in plain sight. Patrick Eyharts kicked the ball over the scoreboard and “into gardens two roads away” after a try was disallowed for a forward pass. “The referee was shoddy,” Willie Jefferson, the Bègles wing, said. “He made three or four very bad calls and our frustration led to fighting. Overall, this match was still nothing compared with tough club games in France.”

The great Béziers, unsurprisingly involved in fractious affairs, faced two British clubs in de facto European finals. In 1971, they lost 12-8 to London Welsh, marking the opening of a Saint-Denis stadium; and on November 1, 1972, they beat Neath 29-17 in the first match at the new Parc des Princes. (It might have been Llanelli who faced Béziers but they had a booking on October 31 against New Zealand — good thing they kept that.)

John Taylor, the London Welsh flanker, wrote about the role of Alain Esteve, their enforcer: “Esteve led the assault as they systematically attempted to beat us up. When I protested to the referee in my best French he claimed he was helpless because it was a ‘celebration’ and Esteve, grinning demonically, cuffed me around the head in front of him.”

At least it was actually the London Welsh team who dominated the British game. In 1973, the London Welsh Male Voice Choir went on a tour to Berlin, as part of which the RAF organised a rugby match. The hosts thought they would be facing a group of British & Irish Lions, not a bunch of basses and baritones. Not even the French, in the amateur or professional era, have travelled that badly.