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Title: ... p106 - Memories of Puig Aubert and the 51 French Tourist at the SCG - Ron Grant
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Re. The 1951 French Rugby League team:
I played in the curtain raiser before
the first test in Sydney. My position was five-eighth for Randwick Marist
Brothers against Marist Brothers Cambletown. We were the metropolitan champions
and they were the country champs. The game finished in a 14 all draw.
It
was memorable because we led 14-2 at half time but with a few minutes to play we
made a break from our tryline by using the run-around. Our winger was in the
clear with no-one to beat but he wasn't very fast. I was supporting him and
although I wasn't lightning fast I could easily outpace him. I called for the
ball because I could see the opposite winger, who WAS fast blazing across-field.
There were 66,000 people there that day, so you could imaging the roaring noise.
Brian, the winger, refused to pass me the ball. I could have made it. He didn't
but was tackled 5 yards from the line AND he lost the ball.
A quick play the
ball would have seen me score and win. I've never forgiven him.
But,we got
to sit inside the fence and watch one of the greatest teams ever, perform their
magic.
Puig Aubert was a master against our "Little Master', Churchill.
Clive got little support from his wingers so he was outplayed on the day by the
Frenchman who was also quite small in stature,like Churchill. I remember Aubert
weighed only 10stone 7lbs or 60kg
The highlights were the way the French
threw the ball around and Aubert's general kicking and goal kicking.
You had to
be there to really appreciate his genius. Ponsinet and Brousse(?) were the first
free-running forwards Australians had ever seen.
Our boys found it too difficult
to contain them. Jean Dop (halfback) and Merquery (5/8) were also difficult to
handle.
That was almost sixty years ago and was one of my most memorable
moments.
p106 - Memories of Puig Aubert and the 51 French Tourist at the SCG - Ron Grant
Appears in the following pages ....P104_Edouard PONSINET, P105_Elie BROUSSE, P106_Puig AUBERT, P73_Clive CHURCHILL
Date of posting ... 22-Apr-2010
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