396 - RUGBY - French National Team: Edouard PONSINET

RUGBY - French National Team: Edouard PONSINET Edouard Ponsinet’s No. 12 jersey, worn during the French national rugby league team’s victorious 1951 tour of Australia and New Zealand Provenance: The granddaughters of Édouard Ponsinet, the famous second row for the French national rugby league team, are selling the jerseys worn during the historic 1951 tour of Australia and New Zealand. This tour made rugby history: it was the first time a French rugby league team had ventured to the Southern Hemisphere, and more broadly, the first time a French team—outside of the Olympic Games—was accompanied by a delegation of journalists on an overseas trip. “You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll be doing a good deed!” declared Paul Barrière, president of the French Rugby League Federation, in an effort to convince the Australians to welcome his “little roosters.” Upon its return, the French team was greeted by 150,000 people who had come out to cheer the players in the streets of Marseille. Jacqueline Ponsinet, the eldest daughter of Édouard Ponsinet, has written a book in tribute to her father that compiles the letters he wrote to his family recounting the tour: Édouard Ponsinet Recounts 1951: The Heroic Tour of the French Rugby League Team in Australia and New Zealand (Edilivre-Aparis, 2014). The first test match against Australia on June 11, 1951, was filmed and narrated; a clip can be found on YouTube at the following link: 1951 Rugby League Test 1 – Australia vs. France. This match drew a crowd of 60,000 spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground and was won by France with a score of 26–15. Tour Results 28 matches against local Australian and New Zealand teams: 21 wins, 3 ties, 4 losses 4 test matches against national teams: 3 against Australia (2 wins, 1 loss), 1 against New Zealand (1 loss) For a total of 23 wins in 32 matches played Jerseys available for sale French national team jersey: Worn by Édouard Ponsinet, nicknamed “Ponpon,” a second-row player for the French national team during the tour (number 12). Born in 1923, he developed exceptional athletic ability on the track (he ran the 100-meter dash in 11.3 seconds). In 1943, he was the French junior triathlon champion. That same year, he joined AS Carcassonne. He won the French championships five times and the French Cup four times during his eleven years playing for the club. New Zealand national team jersey: Worn during the test match on August 4, 1951, at Carlaw Park, where New Zealand won 16–15. Australian Western Division local team jersey: Worn during the match on May 30, 1951, in Forbes, which France won 26–24. Australian national team jersey: Worn during a Test match against Australia.