THE
BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD
FRANCE -V- THE OTHER NATIONALITIES
PLAYED AT HULL 1951 |
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Bill Dalton, a good Hull Man. |
Team
Era would like to thank Bill Dalton, The Hull F.C.
Club Historian, for his efforts in sourcing this story
and articles about the Battle of the Boulevard. Along
with other stories Bill also sent us a copy of the
original game program. ...... Thanks again Bill.
Quote from Bill....
"From
reading the account of the Third Test in Australia
(21 July 1951 it does appear the Elie Brousse had
had a battering and was intent on revenge at the Boulevard
- obviously any Aussie would do! I have spoken to
Ben Greaves (ex Hull KR Director) who was at the match
and he assures me that far from Clues "leaving
the field", he was carried off spark out on a
stretcher with his arms hanging each side."
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ROUGH
HOUSE RUGBY NOT GOOD FOR LEAGUE
COMMENT IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL, MONDAY 5th November 1951
Few matches at Hull Boulevard have been publicised more
than was Saturdays international between France and the
Other Nationalities. But it must go on record that many
games on that ground have eclipsed it in quality. There
was spectacle, but too much of the wrong sort, and most
of the credit in an unsavoury game must go to Other Nationalities,
whose 17 - 14 win was their first ever against the Frenchmen.
Battered, bruised and short handed for almost the entire
game, Other Nationalities made light of their casualties
to gain a resounding victory against less particular opponents,
who were disposed to mix it.
This rough house business is not a good advertisement
for the codae, and from world rugby champions one was
entitled to expect something more in keeping with that
exalted rank.
ORDERS TO QUIT.
It would be an injustice to indict the French team as
a whole, for the play most of them was above reproach,
but it was obvious that in due course drastic action would
have to be taken if cautions were of no avail. Fouls could
not continue indefinitely, and so an inglorius climax
came 11 minutes from the end when second row forward Poncinet,
of Carassonne, got orders to quit.
INJURIES
The game had scarcely started when Clues, Leeds second
row man, had to be carried off with a badly cut eye. Next,
off half Henderson, of Huddersfield, spent 20 minutes
in the dressingroom nursing a head injury, and finally
second row forward Burke, of Leigh, sustained a broken
nose. It was natural that all these incidents should tend
to throw Other Nationalities out of gear, yet they stuck
manfully to their guns, and out-generalling the Frenchmen
in most departments. Other Nationalities had a pronounced
forward superiority, gaining psossession 26 -14 in the
scrums and revealing a greater virility in open play.
Loose forward Valentine, of Huddersfield was untiring,
but even greatere distinction came to his clubmates, Cooper
and Devery.
SPEED AND CRAFT
Cooper's pace and craft brought the winners three tries
- the last a touch-line beauty - while Devery accounted
for four goals.
There was grand work, too, by Mudge and Paskins of Workington.
Bevan (Warrington) had little opportunity, but the side
as a whole showed a good team spirit.
France were well seerved by their halves and full back,
Puig Aubert, although their backs rarely escaped a stranglehold
in advanced positions.
THE ROUGH STUFF
yet, overshadowing what might have been a classic had
the performers been so disposed to make it so, hung a
cloud of regrettable incidents. Apart from major casualties
referred to other players on both sides were in the wars
to lesser degrees. Scars which come from hard knocks are
sometimes inescapable, but it is unwarranted roughness
to which exception must be taken, and the sooner it is
eliminated the sooner the game will profit.
 
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INTERNATIONAL
MATCH AT THE BOULEVARD
FROM AN ARTICLE BY ALLAN CAVE (Sun Sports Writer)
TAKEN FROM THE HULL FC CENTENARY BROCHURE 1963
Whenever Aussies are mentioned on Humberside the memory
almost invariably goes back to one early November day in
1951, when at the Boulevard a great Other Nationalities
XIII, crippled by injuries, won a glorious 17 -14 victory
over France in their prime in what was a veritable blood
bath. It was the last international to be played in Hull.
At the time when the Empire side were two men down France
pulled up from 4 - 9 to nine all, then the courage of such
men as Lionel Cooper, Huddersfield's heavywieght Aussie
left winger, who was team-captain, Scotsman Dave Valentine,
presend Huddersfield coach, Pat Devery, classy Huddersfield
Aussie Centre, Huddersfield and New Zealand winger Peter
Henderson playing stand-off half, Workingtons Australian
centre Tony Paskins and Leigh forward Geoff Burke surmounted
all obstacles.
Cooper shattered the French Barricade for three wonderful
tries - on of the greatest performances against the odds
I have ever witnessed. The head bandaged Henderson strove
gallantly to get through the middle. Burke broke his nose,
went off, but came back to the 'battlefield'.
Jack Murray, Hull's trainer in those days was in charge
of the Empire side's wlfare and I remember him telling me
at the time "Not seen anything like it since Jutland"
Valentines verdict was "We won by four knock-outs to
three". Dave played the game of his life that day.
It was such a match, he-man stuff from start to finish with
the mixed side displaying guts that win wars. It was an
unforgettable game for it started with a crack that put
that great Leeds Aussie forward Arthur Clues flat out in
the second minute, which is all Arthur remembers of that
game to this day. He was carried off and stayed off. The
man who considered responsible for the K.O. French Forward
Edouard Ponsinet was ordered off near the end. He is on
of the new members of the French Selection Committee.
It was a French side in their pomp, full of fire and whenever
I think of that heroic show by the Empire men I long for
a revival of the Other Nationalities team, then dominated
by the Australians. I never hope to see a better back three
forwards then Clues, Harry Bath and valentine. They were
an immense trio.
Clues nowadays is on the Leeds Committee, Valentine, as
I have stated , coaches the club for whom he played so well
and long, and Bath has been back in Sydney where he is a
leading coach for seven years.
That 1951 Epic was Hull's first international since the
twenties, when the Boulevard had two tests - 1921 versus
Australia and 1926 against New Zealand.
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