Roger Claudel, born on April 10, 1911 in Chartres and mort pour la France (dead for France) on December 8, 1944 in the Rammersmatt region, was a French international rugby union player who played both XV and XIII rugby between 1920 and 1940.
He discovered XV rugby when he moved to Grenoble and joined the FC Grenoble club. The latter joined the Union française de rugby amateur in 1930, leading to the departure of many players, including R. Claudel, who joined Lyon OU. During this period, Lyon OU enjoyed a "golden age", dominating the French Championship, winning titles in 1932 and 1933, as well as the Challenge Yves du Manoir in 1933. R. Claudel was a key figure in the French national team, but the latter was going through a period of turmoil and was excluded from the Five Nations Tournament, making it impossible to organize many international matches and forcing R. Claudel to have only two caps between 1932 and 1934.
The arrival of the rugby XIII code in France in 1934, spearheaded by Jean Galia, seduced R. Claudel, who moved to the capital to join the new Paris rugby XIII club. He played there for four seasons, but the club failed to win any titles and disbanded in 1938, leading R. Claudel to play in the amateur category at Courbevoie for a year in 1938-1939. At the same time, he participated three times in the European Nations Cup - in 1935, 1936 and 1937 - with the French team. In 1939, requisitioning for the Second World War suspended the Championship, before the Vichy regime decided to ban rugby à XIII in France in 1940. R. Claudel vigorously denounced this policy and was forced to return to XV rugby, playing for Racing CF in Paris for two more years between 1940 and 1942.
He then joined the Free French Forces. Incorporated into the 3rd Moroccan Spahis Regiment, he entered Alsace in the winter of 1944. It was there that Roger Claudel was killed, before being awarded the distinction of "mort pour la France".
Biography
Childhood, youth and early rugby union in Grenoble
Roger Raymond Claudel was born on April 10, 1911 in Chartres (Eure-et-Loir), at his parents' home at 4 rue Vintant. His father, Henri Albert Claudel (born in Mulhouse in 1882 and died at an unknown date), was a confectioner, and his mother, Émilie Friess (born in Troyes in 1885 and died in Saint-Égrève in 1969), had no profession. He has a sister Émilie (1906-1980) and four brothers Armand (1909-1976), Henri (1903-1992), Émile (1906-1982) and Robert (1914-2005).
He spent his childhood in Alsace with his family, before returning to settle in his hometown. As a youngster, he played athletics and soccer, but was not introduced to rugby union until he moved with his family and four brothers to Grenoble in the late 1920s. Intrigued by the sport, he played it in secret from his parents, who were not keen on the idea. He joined FC Grenoble in 1927 as a reserve player. His qualities were quickly spotted by the Grenoble coaching staff, and during a match against Lyon OU, the Lyon players also recognized his talent.
In 1928, Roger Claudel embarked on a military career. That same 1928-1929 season, he played for the Lyon club, a rugby stronghold.
He joined the 35th aviation regiment in Bron, near Lyon. This choice, through the intermediary of Lyon OU captain Vincent Graule, led R. Claudel to play for the latter club. At the same time, FC Grenoble joined the French amateur rugby union (Union française de rugby amateur), a sports organization bringing together a number of dissident XV rugby clubs. As a result, several players left FC Grenoble, including Julien Saby and later Roger Claudel.
Lyon OU star and French international recognition
1930-1931: successful first season with a Championship final and a call-up to the French national team
After playing a few friendly matches for Lyon OU during the 1929-1930 season, Roger Claudel signed a permanent contract with the club in the summer of 1930. Roger Claudel's arrival at Lyon OU coincided with the club's rise to prominence on the French scene, recruiting many powerful players from the South of France. The club included Henri Marty, Vincent Graule and Lucien Lafond, among others, in the early 1930s.
Lyon OU enjoyed a particularly brilliant 1931 season. The team emerged from pools of five and three, eliminating CA Villeneuve, AS Bayonne, CA Brive and CASG over throughout the season. At the same time, Roger Claudel was selected for the French army team during the season and even played a match at Twickenham stadium against the English army. In the league, Lyon OU surprised their opponents with R. Claudel in the starting line-up. Having qualified for the Championship quarter-finals, Lyon faced Racing CF in Bordeaux on April 26, 1931. R. Claudel was cited as one of Lyon's top performers, and the match ended in a 7-6 Lyon victory, thanks in particular to its forward pack, in which R. Claudel played alongside Joseph Griffard among others. The Championship semi-final pits Lyon against reigning French champions SU Agen. In Béziers, in front of nearly 8,000 spectators, Lyon's power overcame Agen's speed. Once again, Lyon's forwards were the architects of victory. Roger Claudel, named best forward of the pack for this match, even scored a try to give Lyon an 8-0 lead, before eventually winning 11-8. R. Claudel thus prepared for his first Championship final, in which Lyon OU faced RC Toulon on May 10, 1931 at Bordeaux's Parc Lescure. The final turned out in Toulon's favor, as they won 6-3 thanks to a more powerful scrum, in an indecisive encounter. R. Claudel, despite a temporary expulsion, was seen as the best forward in the Lyon team, and, like his teammates, did not disappoint, and was already being touted as an undisputed international for the seasons to come. At the same time, he learned that he had been selected for the French national team, for its end-of-season training camp in Morocco. A few days after the final, he accompanied the French team on a tour of friendly matches against Moroccan teams, with the aim of developing rugby à XV.
1931-1932: First French Championship title and international recognition By the 1931-1932 season, Lyon OU had become a club to be reckoned with at every match, and was one of the season's leading teams. Roger Claudel, who had been rumored to be joining Stade Châteaurenardais, ended up staying with Lyon. As predicted by the press, he was selected for the French national team in November 1931 to take part in selection matches in Clermont-Ferrand on December 6, 1931 and then in Brive. He was not the only Lyonnais called up, as he was accompanied by Paul Durand and Joseph Griffard.
That season, the French team was excluded from the Five Nations Tournament, preventing R. Claudel from taking part. Only friendly matches were organized, and the only official match of the year took place against Germany in the spring. This took place in Frankfurt on April 17, 1932, between the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the Championship. R. Claudel and his teammate Joseph Griffard were the only two Lyonnais representatives, following several team defections. Germany, for their part, did not seem strong enough to prevent the French from winning. The match turned in the French's favor, and in the second half they relied on the attacks of their forwards to win the match 20-4. Roger Claudel won his first cap and was considered one of the best forwards.
In the Championship, Lyon OU beat US Cognac, CA Périgueux, AS Soustons, SC Toulouse, AS Béziers and CA Brive in pools of five and three respectively. In the quarter-finals, Lyon faced SA Bordeaux. Thanks to their more athletic forwards, Lyon quickly got the better of an outmatched Bordeaux side. Roger Claudel was at the forefront of a very active pack with Griffard and Louis Vallin, which gave Bordeaux no chance. The Lyonnais win by a large score of 28-0. The semi-final pitted Lyon OU against Stade Piscenois in Bordeaux. Stade Piscenois, the surprise package of this year's tournament, was in the semi-finals and looking to make a splash. In a hurry, they attacked and pressed the Lyonnais, who counter-attacked at the end of the first half with a try scored by R. Claudel. Each team scored a try in the second half for a final score of 6-3. The Lyonnais thus win thanks to their experience and qualify for their second consecutive Championship final. Captain Joseph Choy's RC Narbonne was their opponent in the final in Bordeaux. Lyon were favourites in view of last season's final and this season's run, but their opponents, Narbonne, had previously eliminated the reigning French champions, RC Toulon. Prior to the match, R. Claudel was cited as one of the men to watch in this final. The final, played in front of almost 13,000 spectators, was a bitter affair between two hostile teams obsessed with the result, with the newspaper L'Auto even describing the game played by the two teams as "detestable rugby". Lyon emerged victorious in a match marred by numerous fouls and expulsions, including Claudel's own. Lyon claimed their first French Championship title with a score of 9-3.
1932-1933: Second French Championship title Roger Claudel and several other Lyon players made the headlines during the off-season for their announced departures, suggesting they might return to FC Grenoble. However, the squad was largely renewed for the 1932-1933 season and the defense of their title. R. Claudel retained his international status at the end of the year, following a meeting of the selection committee, and was in with a chance of playing in the annual match against Germany. He is cited as one of France's best players. In March 1933, he was announced as a member of the French team to face Germany on March 26, 1933, along with his Lyon teammate Griffard, but was ultimately left out of the squad in favor of Henry de Malherbe.
Lyon OU's season was not as successful as the previous one, with a series of defeats. In the Championship, however, the club managed to qualify for the semi-finals in its pool of nine, while RC Toulon (champions in 1931) and Stade Piscénois (semi-finalists in 1932) were in the same pools. In the semi-final phase in April, Lyon OU beat UA Libourne 9-0 in Narbonne, thanks in particular to a decisive pass from R. Claudel to Dugaucher, who went on to score Lyon's last three points. To qualify for the final, Roger Claudel and his team-mates took on Section Paloise in Bordeaux, confident in the knowledge that they had been beaten by Libourne. However, the Section paloise gave the Lyonnais a hard time, losing 8-3 and only saving themselves on the difference between points scored and points won, to beat their opponents from Bordeaux and Libourne, and qualify for their third French Championship final in a row, the second in a row against RC Narbonne. This gave R. Claudel the chance to win his second French Championship title. However, he did not take part in the final, even though he had initially been selected for the match. On the eve of the match, he injured himself in his room, dropping a washbasin on his foot. Despite his absence, Lyon OU retained their title at Bordeaux's Stade Lescure, with a score of 10 - 3. At the same time, Lyon OU competed throughout the season in the Challenge Yves du Manoir, winning the title on May 14, 1933 by beating S.A. Bordelais and remaining unbeaten throughout the competition.
1933-1934: end of Lyon's golden age and second selection for the XV de France