View source for Rugby union at the 1920 Summer Olympics

{{Short description|Rugby union at the Olympics}}
{{Infobox Olympic event
|event = Men's rugby union
|games = 1920 Summer
|image = Olympisch_Stadion_Antwerp_1.jpg
|image_size = 250px
|caption =
|venue = [[Olympisch Stadion (Antwerp)|Olympic Stadium]]
|date = September 5
|competitors = 33
|nations = 2
|longnames = yes
|gold = {{ru|USA}}
|goldNOC =
|silver = {{flagicon|France}} [[France A national rugby union team|France]]
|silverNOC =
|bronze =
|prev = [[Rugby union at the 1908 Summer Olympics|1908]]
|next = [[Rugby union at the 1924 Summer Olympics|1924]]
}}
'''Rugby union at the 1920 Summer Olympics''' was played in [[Antwerp]], [[Belgium]]. Two nations entered the [[rugby union]] event at the [[1920 Summer Olympics]] — [[France A national rugby union team|France]] and the [[United States national rugby union team|United States]]. The French team were thought to be assured of the gold medal and came in as raging favourites in the event. However, the United States team surprised everyone when defeating France by eight points to nil.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080102230222/http://www.uidaho.edu/clubs/womens_rugby/RugbyRoot/rugby/FAQ/Trivia/olympics.html Rugby in the Olympics] on University of Idaho website</ref>
== Summary ==
The rugby football Olympic tournament consisted of only one match. It was played between the United States and France. The US squad was made up of [[American football]] players from California universities, notably [[1906–17 Stanford rugby teams|Stanford]], [[California Golden Bears rugby|California]], and [[Santa Clara Broncos#rugby|Santa Clara]]. Due to American football becoming an increasingly violent sport, these and other west coast universities chose to instead play rugby union from 1906–1914.<ref>{{cite news
|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CAgyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SuMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=748,3024990 |title=Many changes in rugby game |work=[[San Jose Mercury News|The Evening News (San Jose)]]|date=September 14, 1906|access-date=November 10, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Stanford University – The First Twenty Five Years 1891–1925|last=Elliott|first=Orrin Leslie |pages=231–233|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gpo2CdSpXLQC&pg=PA231|publisher=Stanford University Press|year=1937|location=Stanford, California|access-date=November 10, 2010|isbn=9781406771411}}</ref><ref name="park">{{cite journal|last=Park|first=Roberta J|date=Winter 1984|title=From Football to Rugby—and Back, 1906–1919: The University of California–Stanford University Response to the "Football Crisis of 1905"|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1984/JSH1103/jsh1103b.pdf|url-status=dead|journal=Journal of Sport History|volume=11|pages=5–40|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807203402/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH1984/JSH1103/jsh1103b.pdf|archive-date=2010-08-07|number=3}}</ref>
On the other side, the French team was composed of rugby players from four clubs near [[Paris]]: [[Racing Club de France Football|Racing Club]], [[Olympique de Paris|Olympique]], Club Athlétique des Sports Généraux, and Sporting Club Universitaire.
United States player Rudy Scholz wrote about the match:
{{cquote|It started at 5 PM, (time here for all big matches) and there was a crowd of about 20,000 present, despite the fact it was raining. At a council of war we decided that because the ground was wet and slippery and the ball likewise, we would make it a forward game. The French tried a backfield game, and they lost although they were fast. The slippery ball and field proved their undoing...<ref name=sportsref/>}}
After the Olympic competition, the US team [[1924 United States rugby union tour of England and France|toured England and France in 1924]], playing three games in England as preparation for the [[rugby union at the 1924 Summer Olympics|1924 Olympic competition]].<ref name="Gallagher">{{cite news|last1=Gallagher|first1=Brendan|title=Olympic spirit was forgotten amid violence and acrimony|work=The RugbyPaper|issue=400|date=15 May 2016|pages=32–3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=CalBear81|title=1924 Rugby: A Wild Olympic Rematch|date=20 June 2012 |url=http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2012/6/20/3067036/1924-rugby-a-wild-olympic-rematch|access-date=18 May 2016}}</ref>
On 19 September, in Lyon, United States defeated a team representing the southeast of France 26–0. The American team also achieved victories against a southern French team (in Toulouse) and a southwest side at Bordeaux. United States was later defeated by France 14–5 in Paris.<ref name=sportsref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200418011023/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1920/RUG/mens-rugby.html Rugby at the 1920 Antwerpen] on Sports Reference</Ref>
== Match details ==
{{rugbybox
|id=
|date=
|time=
|home= {{ru-rt|USA}}
|score= 8–0
|away= {{flagicon|France}} [[France A national rugby union team|France XV]]
|report= [http://en.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/match/19212.html Report]
|try1= Hunter
|con1= Templeton
|pen1= Templeton
|drop1=
|try2=
|con2=
|pen2=
|drop2=
|stadium= [[Olympisch Stadion (Antwerp)|Olympic Stadium]], [[Antwerp]]
|attendance= 55,000<ref name="FRA XV USA 1920">{{cite web |title=OLYMPICS - Antwerp, 5 September 1920, 17:00 local, 16:00 GMT |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/match/19212.html |website=espnscrum |access-date=6 May 2021}}</ref>
|referee=
}}
{| style="width:100%" class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"
|-
!Team details
|-
|
{| width=92% |
|-
|{{Football kit
|pattern_la=
|pattern_b= _usarugby1900
|pattern_ra=
|pattern_so= _usa1924
|leftarm= ffffff
|body= ffffff
|rightarm= ffffff
|shorts= ffffff
|socks= ffffff
|title= USA
}}
|
|{{Football kit
|pattern_la=
|pattern_b= _collar_buttons_2
|pattern_ra=
|pattern_so=
|leftarm= 87CEEB
|body= 87CEEB
|rightarm= 87CEEB
|shorts= ffffff
|socks= 000000
|title   = France
}}
|}
{| width="100%" style="font-size: 90%; " cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align=center
|-
| width=41%; text-align=right|
| width=3%; text-align:right|
| width=4%; text-align:center|
| width=3%; text-align:left|
| width=49%; text-align:left|
|-
|align=right| [[Dink Templeton]] ||align=right|FB||align=center|15 ||FB|| [[André Chilo]]
|-
|align=right| Charles Tilden (c) ||align=right|W||align=center|14 ||W|| Grenet
|-
|align=right| [[Heaton Wrenn]] ||align=right|C||align=center|13 ||C|| [[François Borde]]
|-
|align=right| [[John Patrick (rugby union)|John Patrick]] ||align=right|C||align=center|12 ||C|| [[René Crabos]] (c)
|-
|align=right| [[Erwin Righter]] ||align=right|W||align=center|11 ||W|| [[Édouard Bader]]
|-
|align=right| [[Rudolph Scholz]] ||align=right|FH||align=center|10 ||FH|| [[Adolphe Bousquet]]
|-
|align=right| [[Charles Mehan]] ||align=right|SH||align=center|9 ||SH|| Raoul Thiercelin
|-
|align=right| [[George Fish]] ||align=right|N8||align=center|8 ||N8|| [[Robert Levasseur (rugby union)|Robert Levasseur]]
|-
|align=right| [[Charles Doe]] ||align=right|F||align=center|7 ||F|| [[Alphonse Castex]]
|-
|align=right| [[Daniel Carroll (rugby union)|Daniel Carroll]] ||align=right|F||align=center|6 ||L|| [[Alfred Eluère]]
|-
|align=right| [[Morris Kirksey]] ||align=right|L||align=center|5 ||L|| Jean Bruneval
|-
|align=right| [[Joseph Hunter (rugby union)|Joseph Hunter]] ||align=right|L||align=center|4 ||L|| [[Maurice Labeyrie]]
|-
|align=right| [[James Fitzpatrick (rugby union)|James Fitzpatrick]] ||align=right|H||align=center|3 ||P|| Curtet
|-
|align=right| [[John O'Neil (USA rugby union)|John O'Neil]] ||align=right|H||align=center|2 ||H|| [[Pierre Petiteau]]
|-
|align=right| [[John Muldoon (rugby player born 1896)|John Muldoon]] ||align=right|P||align=center|1 ||P|| [[Jacques Forestier]]
|}
|}
== Medal summary ==
=== Medal table ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!data-sort-type="number"|Rank !! style="width:170px;"|Team !! Matches !! Points !! Avg. !! Tries !! Avg tries
|-
| {{gold01}} || align=left|{{ru|USA}} || 1 || 8  || 8 || 1 || 1
|-
| {{silver02}} || align=left|{{flagicon|France}} [[France A national rugby union team|France XV]] || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
| {{bronze03}} || colspan=6 style=background:#efefef| {{center| ''(none awarded)'' }}
|}
=== Medalists ===
{{multiple image
|align= right
|direction = vertical
|image1 = USA rugby team for the october 1920 test match vs France.jpg
|width1 = 230
|image2 = L'équipe de France de rugby le 10 octobre 1920.jpg
|width2 = 230
|footer = Above: United States, gold medal; below, France, which lost 8–0
}}
{| {{MedalistTable|type=Event}}
|-
|[[Rugby union]]
|valign=top|{{flagIOCteam|USA|1920 Summer}}<br>
{{nowrap|Trainer/Selector: Harry Maloney}}<br>
{{nowrap|Player/Coach: [[Daniel Carroll (rugby union)|Daniel Carroll]]}} <br>
[[Charles Doe]]<br>
[[George Fish]]<br>
[[James Fitzpatrick (rugby union)|James Fitzpatrick]]<br>
[[Joseph Hunter (rugby union)|Joseph Hunter]]<br>
[[Morris Kirksey]]<br>
[[Charles Mehan]]<br>
[[John Muldoon (rugby player born 1896)|John Muldoon]]<br>
[[John O'Neil (USA rugby union)|John O'Neil]]<br>
[[John Patrick (rugby union)|John Patrick]]<br>
[[Erwin Righter]]<br>
[[Rudolph Scholz]]<br>
[[Dink Templeton]]<br>
[[Charles Lee Tilden Jr.|Charles Lee Tilden]] (capt)<br>
[[Heaton Wrenn]]<br>
[[Harold Von Schmidt]]<br>
----
''(did not play the game):''<br />
[[Matthew E. Hazeltine, Sr.]]<br>
[[Colby Slater]]<br>
James Winston
|valign=top|{{flagIOCteam|FRA|1920 Summer}}<br>
[[Édouard Bader]]<br>
[[François Borde]]<br>
[[Adolphe Bousquet]]<br>
Jean Bruneval<br>
[[Alphonse Castex]]<br>
[[André Chilo]]<br>
[[René Crabos]]<br>
Curtet<br>
[[Alfred Eluère]]<br>
[[Jacques Forestier]]<br>
Grenet<br>
[[Maurice Labeyrie]]<br>
[[Robert Levasseur (rugby union)|Robert Levasseur]]<br>
[[Pierre Petiteau]]<br>
[[Raoul Thiercelin]]
----
''(did not play the game):''<br />
Raymond Berrurier
|''none awarded''
|}
== Notes ==
Rugby Commissioner and President of the California Rugby Union, Harry Maloney, was Coach and Trainer of the team.
* [[James Fitzpatrick (rugby union)|James Fitzpatrick]] is missing in the IOC medal database but he did compete in the match.
* James Winston is listed in the IOC medal database but he did not participate.
* Bill Muldoon was also a squad member of the American team but did not compete (and is not listed in the IOC medal database).
* Raymond Berrurier is listed in the IOC medal database but he did not participate.
* Constant Lamaignière, Eugène Soulié, and Robert Thierry were squad members for the French team but they did not play (and were not listed in the IOC medal database).
* [[Morris Kirksey]] also won gold for the United States in the [[Athletics at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's 4x100 metre relay|4x100 metre relay]] at these games.
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Rugby union at the 1920 Summer Olympics}}
* {{SR/Olympics sport at games|sport=Rugby|archive=20160303174059}}
{{EventsAt1920SummerOlympics}}{{Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics}}
[[Category:Rugby union at the 1920 Summer Olympics| ]]
[[Category:1920 Summer Olympics events]]
[[Category:Rugby union at the Summer Olympics|1920]]
[[Category:1920 rugby union tournaments for national teams|Oly]]