Allez les Bleus! – A French Centenary Conference
On Monday, September 3, 2007, the Museum hosted a conference to mark the centenary of the first visit to England by the French rugby team.
The speakers were:
Gregor Townsend (former Scotland and Lions player) - Welcome address
Phil Dine (National University of Ireland, Galway and author of 'French Rugby Football') - The Great Exception: Reflections On A Century Of French Rugby Genius
Thierry Terret (Universite Claude Bernard, Lyon) - The Spread of Rugby in France: Sociability, Violence and the Break with Britain and Ireland
Mike Rylance (Journalist and author of 'The Forbidden Game: The Untold Story of French Rugby League') - Vichy and Rugby League
Olivier Nier (Universite Claude Bernard, Lyon) - French Rugby: From Amateurism and 'Shamateurism' to the Professional Game
Eddie Butler (Journalist, broadcaster and former Wales and Lions player) - French Rugby Since 1995
Please note that the thoughts and opinions expressed in the conference papers above are those of the authors and not those of the Rugby Football Union or the World Rugby Museum.
