22-12-2011, 08:59 PM
The game has a history in France which is almost as long as that in the Home Countries. Clubs were being formed by British expatriates to France almost as soon as the RFU was organized and native French teams teams came very soon after. It's not really surprising -- rugby is simply the version of "carry-the-ball" football which happened to get codified first. It was played all over Europe in various forms, and once a codified version became available it caught on quickly in France, particularly in the southern half of the country.
French -- and particularly southern French influence has always been strong in northern Italy (where rugby is strongest) and the border regions of Spain and the Basque-speaking region where teams like Biarritz and Perpignan draw their support. It was French influence which also brought the game to Romania, traditionally the strongest rugby nation outside of the Six Nations.
Frankly, I think it odd that France isn't considered one of the traditional "Home" nations.
French -- and particularly southern French influence has always been strong in northern Italy (where rugby is strongest) and the border regions of Spain and the Basque-speaking region where teams like Biarritz and Perpignan draw their support. It was French influence which also brought the game to Romania, traditionally the strongest rugby nation outside of the Six Nations.
Frankly, I think it odd that France isn't considered one of the traditional "Home" nations.
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