Rugby union at the 1924 Summer Olympics
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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 its m ...
at the
1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...
held in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, won the gold medal, beating in an upset in front of a partisan crowd. All the matches were played at
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
of Colombes. It was the last time rugby was played at a Summer Olympics until rugby sevens was introduced in 2016.


Entries

In September 1923, the
U.S. Olympic Committee The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is the National Olympic Committee and the National Paralympic Committee for the United States. It was founded in 1895 as the United States Olympic Committee, and is headquartered in Col ...
agreed to send an American rugby team to the 1924 Paris Olympics. The
French Olympic Committee The French National Olympic and Sports Committee (french: Comité national olympique et sportif français, CNOSF) is the National Olympic Committee of France. It is responsible for France's participation in the Olympic Games, as well as for all ...
(FOC) had scheduled the rugby event to kick off the 1924 Paris Games, and Romania and the USA were expected to provide only token opposition for the European Champions. France was picked to win the gold medal in grand style.


USA Arrival

The USA Olympic rugby team arrived in Paris, via
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 ...
on 27 April 1924, after a 6,000-mile journey by train, bus, ship, and ferry from
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
. The team was the target of hostility even before the players set foot on French soil. In the port of Boulogne immigration officials refused the U.S. team entry, and the players – many of whom had been seasick during the turbulent crossing – spent over 12 hours waiting for the officials to resolve the situation.


France versus Romania

The Olympic games of 1924 opened on 4 May with a match between France and Romania. Playing its first fifteen, the French notched a 59 to 3 victory over the smaller eastern European team, scoring 13 tries including four by the fine Stade Francais winger Adolphe Jauréguy. After the match, another round of trouble started over the referee for the France – USA match. The dispute degraded into the French no longer providing any practice fields for the team, so the Americans found themselves a park in the outskirts of a city. Fanning the flames, the French press published an article by a Paris City Counselor criticizing the U.S. team. The Americans invited the Frenchman to come down to the pitch to discuss the matter. To make matters worse, an argument started over the French Olympic Committee's ruling that the American side could not film their match against Romania that weekend. A French company had been awarded sole rights to filming the Olympics, and an American request to film the match was flatly denied. A meeting on the 8th did not resolve the issue, so Sam Goodman told the French organizers that the US might pull out of the Games.Rugby at the 1924 Olympics
on Wes Clark blog
Adding fuel to the fire, the American players' clothes were robbed during that day's training session. Even though a French attendant had been posted, the team lost about $4,000 worth of cash and possessions. Cleaveland and his teammates were not very happy, and because of their treatment in the press, the American side was now being cursed and spat on in the streets of Paris. The French press now whipped up fierce anti-American sentiment in Paris.


USA versus Romania

On Sunday, 11 May, the US defeated Romania at Colombes Stadium. With Norman at flyhalf, Richard Hyland at center, and Jack Patrick at flanker. Fullback Charlie Doe had a good day kicking, scoring 13 points. With the impressive win, though, a difficult situation was brewing. Each time the Americans touched the ball, the French crowd of about 6000 booed and hissed. Conversely, they cheered and screamed each time the Romanians gained any possession. And though everyone felt that the Americans would play a harsh, physical match, both the American and French sporting press noted the lack of violence and the skilled nature of US play, coupled with their size and fitness. Some of the French press even conceded that the fans had been unfair at the match. Still the odds were set at 5 to 1 against the US with a 20-point spread in the upcoming match with France. Two days later, the issue over the final's referee was settled when Albert Freethy of Wales was selected.


The final

During the final between and the at Colombes Stadium, French fans booed and hissed the American team. French fans threw bottles and rocks onto the field and at American players and officials, wild brawls broke out in the stands, U.S. reserve Gideon Nelson was knocked unconscious after being hit in the face by a walking stick, and French fans invaded the pitch at the final whistle, leaving the police to protect the Americans. At the medal ceremony, ''
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'' was drowned out by the booing and hissing of French fans, and the American team had to be escorted to their locker room under police protection.


Results

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Final ranking


Rosters

Complete list of players:Rugby Results for the 1924 Summer Olympics
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References


External links

* {{EventsAt1924SummerOlympics 1924 Summer Olympics events 1924
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
Rugby union in Paris
Oly Oly may refer to: * Oly, informal name for Olympia, Washington, United States * OLY (: ), postnominals granted to participants in the Olympics People with the name * Oly (born 1992), American singer-songwriter and musician * Oly Hicks (born 1968 ...
Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
1923–24 in French rugby union