The Somme Cup is a

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

trophy first won by a New Zealand Army team, known as the Trench Blacks, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1917. It is claimed that around 60,000 people watched the match, which was won 40-0 by the New Zealand team. The cup depicts a soldier throwing a grenade, and was created by Georges Chauvel in 1917,''Le Lanceur de grenades'' (1917)
in base mémoire a French sculptor in the French Army at the time. The cup has been in a private collection since it was first won in the War. In September 2015 the

New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF; mi, Te Ope Kātua o Aotearoa, "Line of Defence of New Zealand") are the armed forces of New Zealand. The NZDF is responsible for the protection of the national security of New Zealand and her realm, prom ...

's rugby team, the Defence Blacks, played a commemorative match against a French team in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

. In early 2016, the cup was put on display at the

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bo ...

Waiouru Waiouru is a small town in the Ruapehu District, in New Zealand's Manawatū-Whanganui region. It is located on the south-eastern North Island Volcanic Plateau, north of Palmerston North and 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu. The town ...

, as part of an exhibition about rugby during World War I.

References

External links

{{commons category, Somme Cup
Somme cup
Battle of the Somme New Zealand in World War I Rugby union in New Zealand