{{Short description|none}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox Olympic event | event = Men's rugby union | games = 1900 Summer | image = Btv1b8433332t-p014 (cropped)1A Square.jpg | image_size = 200px | caption = Vélodrome de Vincennes hosted the matches | venue =Vélodrome de Vincennes | dates = 14 October 1900<br /> 28 October 1900 | competitors = 47 | nations = 3 | longnames = yes | gold = Union des Sociétés Françaises | goldNOC = FRA | silver = FC 1880 Frankfurt<ref>Hugo Betting and August Schmierer were guest players from other clubs.</ref> | silverNOC = GER | silver2 = Moseley Wanderers | silverNOC2 = GBR | bronze = | bronzeNOC = | prev = | next = 1908 }}
'''Rugby union at the 1900 Summer Olympics''' was played in Paris.<ref name="rugby union">The IOC and most Olympic history organizations refer to the sport played at the 1900 Summer Olympics simply as "rugby", though it was a form of rugby union.</ref> Rugby union matches at the 1900 Summer Olympics were held on 14 October and 28 October. Forty-seven athletes competed, most from three nations and including a Haitian and a French-born American.
== Summary == France, represented by Union des Sociétés Françaises, Germany, represented mainly by the FC 1880 Frankfurt,<ref>[http://www.rugby-verband.de/cms/index.php?id=75 Die Gründerjahre des deutschen Rugbysports] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025044353/http://www.rugby-verband.de/cms/index.php?id=75 |date=25 October 2007 }} {{in lang|de}} DRV website – Foundation years, accessed: 25 February 2010</ref> and Great Britain, represented by the Moseley Wanderers,<ref name="Rugby at the Olympics">{{cite web |url = http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/olympics.htm |title = Rugby at the Olympics |publisher=Rugby Football History |author=Rugby Football History |access-date= 4 April 2008}}</ref> all participated in the inaugural rugby event at the Olympics. Only two games were contested, France played both Germany and Great Britain, the French winning both matches.
This saw the gold go to France, and both Germany and Great Britain are credited with silver, with no bronze awarded. For medal purposes, the IOC regarded the side from France until 2024 as a "Mixed Team", as Constantin Henriquez was from Haiti. Further, André Roosevelt, an American born in France, was also on the French team. However, in 2024 the IOC reassigned the medal to France, as well as 12 other medals to particular countries, that were previously considered to be mixed teams at the 1900 Summer Olympics.<ref name="oly2">{{cite web|title=Paris 1900 Rugby Men Results|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-1900/results/rugby/rugby-men|website=Olympics.com|access-date=2021-08-02}}</ref>
==Results== === Match 1 === <section begin=A1/>{{rugbybox |id= |date= 14 Oct |time= |home= {{ru-rt|FRA}} |score= 27–17 |away= {{flagicon|GER|empire}} Germany |report= [http://en.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/match/19039.html Report] |try1= |con1= |pen1= |drop1= |try2= E Ludwig,<br> Reitz, <br> Schmierer |con2= Schmierer (2) |pen2= |drop2= Schmierer |stadium= Vélodrome de Vincennes, Paris |attendance= 3,500 |referee= FC Potter-Irwin (England) }} {| style="width:100%" class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" |- !Team details |- | {| width=92% | |- |{{Football kit | pattern_la = | pattern_b = _france_rings | pattern_ra = | pattern_sh = | pattern_so = | leftarm = ffffff | body = ffffff | rightarm = ffffff | shorts = 000000 | socks = 000000 |title= France }} | |{{Football kit |pattern_la= _black_hoops |pattern_b= _blackhoops |pattern_ra= _black_hoops |pattern_sh= |pattern_so= |leftarm= ff0000 |body= ff0000 |rightarm= ff0000 |shorts= 000000 |socks= 000000 |title= Germany }} |}
{| 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| Alexandre Pharamond ||align=right| ||align=center|15 || || Hermann Kreuzer |- |align=right| Frantz Reichel ||align=right| ||align=center|14 || || Arnold Landvoigt |- |align=right| Jean Collas||align=right| ||align=center|13 || || Heinrich Reitz |- |align=right| Constantin Henriquez||align=right| ||align=center|12 || || Jacob Hermann |- |align=right| Andre Rischmann ||align=right| ||align=center|11 || || Erich Ludwig |- |align=right| A. Albert ||align=right| ||align=center|10 || || Hugo Betting |- |align=right| Leon Binoche||align=right| ||align=center|9 || || August Schmierer |- |align=right| Jean Herve ||align=right| ||align=center|8 || || Albert Amrhein (c) |- |align=right| Victor Lardanchet ||align=right| ||align=center|7 || || Richard Ludwig |- |align=right| Jean-Guy Gautier||align=right| ||align=center|6 || || Eduard Poppe |- |align=right| Joseph Olivier (c)||align=right| ||align=center|5 || || Georg Wenderoth |- |align=right| Wladimir Aitoff||align=right| ||align=center|4 || || Willy Hofmeister |- |align=right| Emile Sarrade||align=right| ||align=center|3 || || Hans Latscha |- |align=right| Hubert Lefebvre||align=right| ||align=center|2 || || Adolf Stockhausen |- |align=right| Andre Roosevelt ||align=right| ||align=center|1 || || Fritz Muller |} {{Commons category|France v Germany, 14 October 1900}} |}<section end=A1/>
thumb|250px|right|Scene of the France v Germany match played on 14 October In the first half, France scored a try by Émile Sarrade and a conversion. Germany scored tries by Heinrich Reitz and August Schmierer, with two conversions as well as a drop goal. Under the custom scoring rules of the Olympic tournament (3 points for tries or penalties, 2 points for conversions, 4 points for drop goals), this gave Germany a lead of 14–5.
The second half was vastly different, as Serrade scored two more tries while André Roosevelt also scored two and Frantz Reichel and Abel Albert added one each. Two more conversions were made, bringing France's score to a total of 27. Germany, on the other hand, scored only one try, by one of the Ludwigs.<ref name=Ludwig>The scorer's name is listed as "Ludwig", but there were two Ludwigs playing for Germany. It is unclear if the scorer was Erich Ludwig or Richard Ludwig.</ref> France thus won the match 27–17.<ref>[http://en.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/match/19039.html Match report] on ESPN</ref> ----
=== Match 2 === <section begin=A2/>{{rugbybox |id= |date= 28 Oct |time= |home= {{ru-rt|FRA}} |score= 27–8 |away= {{flagicon|GBR}} Great Britain |report= [http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/olympics.htm#1900 Report] |try1= |con1= |pen1= |drop1= |try2= |con2= |pen2= |drop2= |stadium= Vélodrome de Vincennes, Paris |attendance= 6,000 |referee= M.T.B. Potter }}<section end=A2/>
The British team failed to score in the first half, while France continued the scoring barrage they had experienced in the second half of the Germany match. Sarrade scored two tries, bringing his tournament total to five. Joseph Olivier, Jean Collas, and Jean-Guy Gauthier each added a try. No conversions were scored, though André Rischmann's two penalties brought France's first-half total to 21.
Britain actually outscored France in the second half, 8–6, but had little chance of catching up. Joseph Wallis scored a try while J. Henry Birtles made a conversion and a penalty for Britain. Reichel scored his second try of the tournament, and Léon Binoche added a try to bring France's victory to a 27–8 margin.<ref>[http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/olympics.htm#1900 October 28, 1900] on Rugby Football History</ref>
A Reuters report of the match noted that the British squad's loss may have been in part to fatigue, as the players arrived in Paris only on the morning of the match. A crowd of 10,000 fans witnessed the match.<ref>{{cite news|title=English Team Defeated|url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/19001029/011/0002|access-date=6 August 2017|work=Morning Post|agency=Reuters|date=29 October 1900}}</ref>
== Medal table == thumb|250px|right|The German squad shared the silver medal with Great Britain
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |- !data-sort-type="number"|Rank !! style="width:170px;"|Team !! Matches !! Points !! Avg points !! Tries !! Avg tries |- | {{gold01}}||align=left| {{Flag icon|FRA}} France<ref name="oly2"/> || 2 || 54 || 27.00 || ? || ? |- | rowspan=2| {{silver02}} ||align=left| {{flagicon|GER|empire}} Germany || 1 || 17 || 17 || ? || ? |- | align=left| {{flagicon|GBR}} Great Britain || 1 || 8 || 8 || ? || ? |- | {{bronze03}} || colspan=6 style=background:#efefef align=center|''(none awarded)'' |}
==Rosters== === France === {{div col|colwidth=15em}} * Wladimir Aïtoff * Abel Albert * Léon Binoche * Jean Collas * Jean-Guy Gauthier * Auguste Giroux * Charles Gondouin * Constantin Henriquez (HAI) * Jean Hervé * Victor Larchandet * Hubert Lefèbvre * Joseph Olivier * Alexandre Pharamond * Frantz Reichel * André Rischmann * André Roosevelt (USA) * Emile Sarrade {{div col end}}
===Germany=== {{div col|colwidth=15em}} * Albert Amrhein * Hugo Betting * Jacob Herrmann * Willy Hofmeister * Hermann Kreuzer * Arnold Landvoigt * Hans Latscha * Erich Ludwig * Richard Ludwig * Fritz Müller * Eduard Poppe * Heinrich Reitz * August Schmierer * Adolf Stockhausen * Georg Wenderoth {{div col end}}
===Great Britain=== <section begin=GBR/>{{div col|colwidth=15em}} * Frank Bayliss * Henry Birtles * James Cantion * Arthur Darby * Clement Deykin * Leslie Hood * M. L. Logan * Herbert Loveitt * Herbert Nicol * V. Smith * M. W. Talbot * Joseph Wallis * Claude Whittindale * Raymond Whittindale * Francis Wilson {{div col end}}<section end=GBR/>
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==References== * [http://olympic.org/uk/athletes/results/search_r_uk.asp International Olympic Committee] medal winners database * De Wael, Herman. ''Herman's Full Olympians'': "Rugby 1900". Accessed 2 March 2006. Available electronically at [http://users.skynet.be/hermandw/olymp/rug1900.html]. * {{cite book | author = Mallon, Bill | year = 1998 | title = The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary | publisher = McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers | location = Jefferson, North Carolina | isbn = 0-7864-0378-0 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/1900olympicgames00mall }}
==External links== {{Commons category|Rugby union at the 1900 Summer Olympics}} * [http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/olympics.htm#france1900 Rugby at the Olympics] * {{SR/Olympics sport at games|sport=Rugby|archive=20151122125954}}
{{Events at the 1900 Summer Olympics}} {{Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics}} {{France national rugby union team}} {{Germany national rugby union team}} {{England national rugby union team}}
Rugby union 1900 1900 1900 Olympics Olympics Rugby union 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900 1900