Robert Samatan, nicknamed ''Bob la Science'' (

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

, 16 April 1909 - Antibes, 4 May 1986) was a French

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer. He debuted for T.O.E.C (rugby union), 1.78m tall and weighing 76 kg at his debut, later he played at left wing for

SU Agen Sporting Union Agen Lot-et-Garonne (), commonly referred to as SU Agen, Agen () or SUALG, is a French professional rugby union club based in Agen, Lot-et-Garonne that competes in the Pro D2, France's second division of rugby. Founded in 1908, A ...

(but also as right wing or number eight). A very powerful player, he is the forerunner of the modern wingers' playing style. The first player to be inspired by his lively and alert technique was Jean Dauger, who played for Bayonne. In March

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 Nepal–Bihar earthquake strikes Nepal and Bihar with a maxi ...

, he was dismissed from

, and was part of the rugby league team of the "Galia's Boys" who made a memorable tour in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

under the management and captainship of its creator

Jean Galia Jean Galia (born 20 March 1905 in Ille-sur-Têt, Pyrénées-Orientales, died 17 January 1949 in Toulouse) was a French rugby union and rugby league footballer and champion boxer. He is credited with establishing the sport of rugby league in Fra ...

. His status as a Pioneer (Galia's Boy) did not qualify him as a French International. Opting for rugby league, he integrated the Roanne XIII squad where

Max Rousié Max Rousié (18 July 1912 – 2 June 1959) was a French rugby league and rugby union footballer who rose to prominence in the 1930s. He was a dual-code international, eventually becoming captain of the French rugby league team. He was born in ...

and Jean Dauger played alongside him in 1938. In

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

, he led the first French tour of a team sport (e.g. France national rugby league team) in Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. In his civil life, he worked as wholesaler in the food sector.

Biography

In March 1934, Robert Samatan made an interview for L'Auto after switching to rugby league where he denounced the hypocrisy and the 'shamateurism' within the

French Rugby Federation The French Rugby Federation (french: Fédération Française de Rugby (''FFR'')) is the governing body for rugby union in France. It is responsible for the French national team and the Ligue nationale de rugby that administers the country's profe ...

since several years. Playing then at the Toulouse Lyceum, he received an offer from Annibert (of Stade Toulousain, who later became a member of the

French Athletics Federation The French Athletics Federation (french: Fédération française d'athlétisme - ''FFA''), is the governing body for the sport of athletics in France. History FFA is the heir to the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), ...

where he dictated the laws of the full amateurism). Annibert promised him a success at his exams and numerous advantages and Mr. Furst of Stade Toulousain also proposed him 200 francs per month, which convinced Samatan to sign. After some months, his salary quadrupled and numerous clubs offered him a better salary like

Quillan Quillan (; Languedocien: ''Quilhan'') is a commune in the Aude department in southern France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Brenac was merged into Quillan.Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Au ...

, but it is finally Agen through Mr. Armand Bastoul's intermediary which obtained his signature for 25.000

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

and a situation, which later convinced Maurice Porra to join him at Agen for 1.500 francs per month. He decided to take part of the creation of a French rugby league team with

. Appointed by the latter to convince some players to switch to rugby league, he faced overbids from rugby union clubs which were yet amateur in principle, such as

USA Perpignan Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais, also referred to as USA Perpignan or Perpignan, is a French professional rugby union club founded in 1933 and based in Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. They compete in the Top 14, Franc ...

.''Actuellement encore des joueurs sont payés !'', Robert Perrier, l'Auto, le dimanche 5 mars 1934.

Rugby union career

* Champion of France (as winger) with

(1930) * International (10 caps) for France A (

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

)

Rugby league career

* Team honours : ** Winner of the

French Championship The French rugby league championship (french: Le Championnat de France de Rugby à XIII) has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France since the sport was introduced to the country in the 1930s. ...

: 1939 (

Roanne Roanne (; frp, Rouana; oc, Roana) is a commune in the Loire department, central France. It is located northwest of Lyon on the river Loire. It has an important Museum, the ''Musée des Beaux-arts et d'Archéologie Joseph-Déchelette'' (Fre ...

).Robert Samatan did not take part at the final. ** Winner of the

Lord Derby Cup The French Rugby League Cup (french: Coupe de France de Rugby à XIII), also called Lord Derby Cup (french: Coupe Lord Derby) after its championship trophy, is the premier knockout competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. Th ...

: 1935 ( Lyon-Villeurbanne) et 1938 (

). * Individual honours : ** International in four occasions for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

between 1934 and 1936. ** Co-trainer of France (being the first French team of a team sport (France national rugby league team) who made in 1951 a tour (successful and of 2,5 months) in Oceania) (1951-1955).

International Caps

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

Robert Samatan international statistics
at ESPN Scrum

at rugbyleagueproject.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Samatan, Robert 1909 births 1986 deaths Dual-code rugby internationals France international rugby union players France national rugby league team coaches France national rugby league team players Lyon Villeurbanne XIII players RC Roanne XIII players Rugby league coaches Rugby league wingers Rugby union wings Rugby union players from Toulouse SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne players