French union of Rugby amateur

The French Union of Rugby amateur was a sporting organization gathering several clubs of Rugby to XV dissenting, before members of the French federation of Rugby (FR), of 1930 with 1932.

Origins of dissidence

Ten, then 12 clubs (the SNUC and Limoges coming to enlarge their rows) the first division, including seven former champions of France, were organized in order to protest against violence and " amateurism marron" , due to the competitive spirit exacerbated created more and more by the championship, which made rage in the French landscape rugbystic of the time. Toulouse Olympique Students Club started by making secession, but a majority of its leaders ends up refusing, and the TOEC remained in the federal bosom.

The Twelve made known their dissatisfaction with FR, in April 1930, by the means of a letter containing eight requests (installation of the championship to allow the XV of France better to prepare, transfer tax of one club to the other with favorable agreement of the left, fine club of the blocking and the pooling of the receipts (transferred by equalization) founded in 1929 to allow the small clubs to survive, but unfavourable with the large clubs, replacement of three players wounded by match etc). It is noticed that the opponents (see list below) were located in big cities, for which the payments were hardly favorable and prevented their development with the profit of a widened elite and making the good share with the clubs resulting from small towns even of villages.

The end of season proceeded without nothing being done and the tension went up. In the beginning, the Twelve did not want to leave the Federation, but to be protected and to have the right to play between them. While waiting, they launched their own competition, the “Tournament of the Twelve”, a championship where each club met each other club, but where only the points marked on the ground were added to build the classification. Even beaten, a club thus marked as many points as it had registered some indeed during the match.

The scission

Always hoping for a friendly resolution of the conflict, the Twelve sent their official resignation letter to FR only in December. The UFRA was born officially at this time with in the chair Mr. de Luze. FR meant their exclusion with refractories on December 31st, 1930. The players who chose the UFRA could not be selected in Team of France any more.

Amputated by 12 of its best clubs, the championship of France had lost large. Competition was keen in certain areas, (Bordeaux, Toulouse) and harmful. Feeling the danger, FR took some steps. It gave up the blocking of the receipts and accepted the idea that a club could not be obliged to engage in the championship. This one was preserved because voted by plebiscite by the faithful clubs. But the day of the finale of the championship from France to Bordeaux, the UFRA organized a match between the Stade Toulousain and a selection of the best players of the eleven other clubs….

Into orée of the season 1931-32, two other clubs integrated the UFRA, the Stadoceste tarbais, another former champion of France, and the Narbonnese Sporting union, created fresh date and direct competitor of the RC Narbonnais loyal supporter. They changed the number of restive to 14 and the competition became “Tournament of the Fourteen”

Reconciliation and its consequences

The championship of the UFRA knew only two editions, both gained by the Stade Toulousain. But if the public followed, the incidents started to also appear on the grounds of the UFRA. On each side, dissidence was badly lived and several initiatives brought closer the two camps, in particular under the respected influence of a committee the international ones (Marcel Communeau, Louis Dedet, Adolphe Jauréguy, Rene Crabos and Fernand Forgues). " Ufraïstes" and " loyalistes" managed an agreement finally to Bordeaux, the morning of May 5th, 1932, day of the finale of the championship.

Although momentary this dissidence had an enormous impact on French Rugby. In the short run, no club, although it had from now on the right of it, refused to engage in the championship the following season. It had been decided to reinstate the dissidents, so that the championship passed from 40 to 54 clubs (6 hens of 9), number which remained unchanged during many years, and which ironically, went against the will to reduce the elite of the secessionists! The changes were prohibited if the club of origin did not give its agreement. Heavy suspensions were marked against certain players not having complied with the rule. It was the case of Jean Galia. Besides this crisis played a central role in the rise of the Rugby to XIII, professional, launched in France in 1934 pennies the impulse of Galia. Another consequence, also related to the economic crisis which shook the country then, the number of clubs affiliated to FR passed from 784 in 1930 to 663 in 1934 then to 558 in 1939, while the XIII and its federation, started from scratch in 1934, counted of them approximately 155 to 160 in 1939 (source: Bonnery Louis, Rugby with XIII, French of the world, Limoux, Cano & Franck, 1996; to also see).

The last consequence, but not least serious, the British federations announced on March 3rd, 1931, following a meeting of the Board, which they suspended until new order the meetings vis-a-vis in France, “since the not very satisfactory conditions under which Rugby is played in France… (and this) until they obtained the certainty that the control and the control of the play were organized on satisfactory bases”. France will await 14 years before rejouer against Wales, and 16 before reinstating the Five Nations tournament.

(Primary source: Georges Pastre, shields of Spring, General History of Rugby , Editions Midday-Olympic, 1969).

14 dissenting clubs

Bayonne Aviron †
Stade of Bordeaux †
FC Lyon †
French Stade †
Section paloise †
Sporting union Perpignanaise †
Olympic Stade Toulousain †
Biarritz
FC Grenoble
US Carcassonne
the USA Limoges
Nantes Stade University Club
Stadoceste tarbais † °
Narbonnese Sporting union °

† Former champion of France.

° Rejoint the UFRA in 1932.

Prize list of the tournament of the UFRA

1931 (Tournament of the Twelve): Stade Toulousain
1932 (Tournament of the Fourteen): Stade Toulousain

See too

French federation of Rugby
National league of Rugby

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