Puig Aubert
Encyclopedia
Puig Aubert
Puig Aubert (24 March 1925 in Andernach
, Germany
– 3 June 1994 in Carcassonne
, France
), was debatably the greatest French rugby league
footballer of all-time Over a sixteen year professional career he would play for Carcassonne
, XIII Catalan
, Celtic de Paris
and Castelnaudary
winning five French championships
and four French cups
along with representing the French national side
on a total of forty-six occasions. His position of choice was at fullback and after his retirement in 1960 he would go on to coach Carcassonne and France
along with becoming head French national selector for several years.
Aubert was actually born Robert Aubert Puig, but when he signed as a teenager for Carcassonne
, there were several other established players that shared the same surname that a local newspaper editor printed his name back-to-front to avoid confusion and it ending up sticking and he became the most famous of them all.
His nickname
"Pipette" was a reference to his smoking
habits, which at several stages saw him smoking on the field. Quite famously in a game against Wigan
, he actually caught the ball whilst holding a cigarette
in his other hand. While he often had unusual habits for a sportsman, there was no denying his talent, he was a master at kicking in play and in overall attack he was both unorthodox and unpredictable. Aside from his playing skill, he developed a reputation based on his somewhat eccentric
attitude or charismatic manner. He was known to not tackle a player if he believed it would demonstrate the fault of his team-mates for not previously making the tackle, a cause of some controversy during his career.
The pinnacle of Aubert's career was on the 1951 tour of Australasia
, when he played in twenty-five of France's twenty-nine matches, and scored a record 221 points. Puig-Aubert's performances in 1951 earned him his country's Champion of Champions title - the first time a footballer from any code had been so honoured.
In 1988 he was inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame
.
, Germany
to a German mother and a French father the Puig family would emigrate to Carcassonne
, France
while Robert was still in his infancy and it was here where Robert would carve out his immortality
in French sport and rugby.
While in his adolescence
Robert's father Alphonse Puig (a former French
rugby union
international) encouraged his son to take up the game of rugby union
. Robert originally trialled with the USA Perpignan
side and was quickly signed by the club and placed into their junior ranks where in 1943 he helped Perpignan capture the junior French championship.
At the beginning of 1944 the Vichy government
would lose power meaning that the sport of rugby league
was no longer outlawed in France
and Robert ended his playing days of rugby union
and decided to sign with his local club in rugby league AS Carcassonne
.
now that rugby league was no longer an outlawed sport in France
. Later on that year Puig was named in the starting thirteen for a regular season fixture but with several other more established players in both sides with the last name Puig a local newspaper
editor printed his name back-to-front to avoid confusion and since that day he was forever referred to as Puig Aubert.
Over the next nine years with his home town club Aubert achieved immense success that would cement his place as a legend
of Carcassonne, rugby league and France
while also earning his first national team
cap in 1944. He would go on to lead the club (more often than not as captain) to four French championship titles
, four Lord Derby cups
and runners-up in the championship on four occasions along with three runners-up medals in the Lord Derby cup.
Aubert left the only professional club he had ever been a part of to move to the rival XIII Catalan
club where he would captain
them for the next four years. While at XIII Catalan
his fitness became somewhat of an issue with his weight often fluctuating between five to ten kilos over the next several years combined with his still constant chain smoking
meant he found competing in the ever professional championship competition harder as the years progressed.
During his time at the Catalanian
organisation he would gain another French championship title in his final year with the club in 1957.
After a year spent in the capital with the Paris
club Aubert longing to move back to the south of France decided not to renew another contract in the capital and left the club.
but with his weight and fitness problems continuing to decline he was only limited to several appearances for the season before he altogether retired from competitive rugby league football at the age of thirty-five with the completion of the season.
at fullback
during the 1944 season while on tour in Great Britain
. He immediately achieved a cult following and status among rugby league fans and the sporting public for his unorthodox
and unpredictable play coupled his lax attitude towards defence (often saying it was not the fullbacks job to tackle; other times claiming he was punishing fellow players for missing a tackle before him) and his odd onfield antics such as often playing while smoking at the same time. During half time breaks he was known to drink up to three glasses of red wine, and after scoring tries would occasionally leave a small hand written poem behind the opposing team's goal line designed to castigate and infuriate them. Despite all of this he was universally recognised amongst the rugby league fraternity as somewhat of a genius
for his amazing kicking skill that he possessed in all of its forms.
In 1954 Aubert led his French side as captain into the inaugural World Cup
competition where he would score the first drop goal and the first penalty goal
in World Cup history while leading his team to a 22-13 victory over New Zealand
at Paris' Parc des Princes
on October 30, 1954. During the competition he would score twenty six points and lead his team into the final against the British
where they would narrowly lose by four points 16 to 12.
The height of his success was when he captained France on the 1951 tour of Australasia
. They won the Test series against Australia with Aubert kicking eighteen goals from eighteen attempts, a record never since topped by any tourist. The opposition halfback
in that series Keith Holman
would go on to state "I've never seen his equal, A terrific player and a terrific gentleman. As a goalkicker he had no equal - and no one since can compare. One day at practice on the Sydney Cricket Ground I saw him do something I've never before or since. He placed the ball where the corner post usually stands and with a remarkable kick curved it around between the goalposts for a `goal'".
During that tour Puig Aubert played in twenty-five of France's twenty-nine matches, and scored a record 221 points (with 163 in Australia), outdoing the efforts of the British great Jim Sullivan. His performances during 1951 earned him the Champion of Champions title awarded by the French sporting newspaper
L'Equipe making him the first time a football
er from any code had been so honoured.
Over a span of ten years in the international game Aubert would make forty-six appearances for the national side
scoring a total of 361 collective points in his twenty-seven test matches, four World Cup appearances and fifteen European cup
caps including two victorious tournament campaigns.
from the game professionally at the end of the 1960 season Aubert worked simultaneously as a commercial employee for the Paul Ricard company while also ironically acting as a trainer for AS Carcassonne
working with the junior level teams. In 1969 Aubert was selected to lead the French national team
selection committee a position he held for the next decade.
As the years passed Auberts habit of chain smoking would eventually catch up with him and in the late 1980s he was diagnosed with cancer
in his lung
s. Puig would later die of a heart attack
in his home town of Carcassonne
on June 3, 1994.
Six years after his death his original club commissioned a 300 kilogram, 1.7 metre tall bronze statue in his honor outside the AS Carcassonne
club ground Stade Albert-Domec. A commemorative plaque
was fastened to the statue reading: "With Puig-Aubert, symbol of Rugby with XIII; Champion of the world under the tricolour shirt; Champion of the French champions for the year 1951".
In 2004, Bernard Pratviel devoted the book Immortal Pipette to him.
Puig Aubert (24 March 1925 in Andernach
Andernach
Andernach is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of currently about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the Neuwied basin on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village of Fornich in the north and the mouth of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
– 3 June 1994 in Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), was debatably the greatest French rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
footballer of all-time Over a sixteen year professional career he would play for Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne are a professional rugby league football club based in Carcassonne in the south of France. They play in the French rugby league championship and are one of the most successful clubs in French rugby league, having won a total of ten French Championship titles and eleven Lord Derby Cups...
, XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan were a French rugby league team from Perpignan, in the Catalan Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. They were founded in 1935, and thus were founding members of the French rugby league championship...
, Celtic de Paris
Celtic de Paris
Celtic de Paris are a French rugby league club from the city of Paris....
and Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in south France. It is in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital, and of which it is a major producer....
winning five French championships
French rugby league championship
The French rugby league championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties....
and four French cups
Lord Derby Cup
The Lord Derby Cup , also known as French Rugby à XIII Cup, is the premier knock-out competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. It is open to all French rugby league clubs....
along with representing the French national side
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
on a total of forty-six occasions. His position of choice was at fullback and after his retirement in 1960 he would go on to coach Carcassonne and France
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
along with becoming head French national selector for several years.
Aubert was actually born Robert Aubert Puig, but when he signed as a teenager for Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne are a professional rugby league football club based in Carcassonne in the south of France. They play in the French rugby league championship and are one of the most successful clubs in French rugby league, having won a total of ten French Championship titles and eleven Lord Derby Cups...
, there were several other established players that shared the same surname that a local newspaper editor printed his name back-to-front to avoid confusion and it ending up sticking and he became the most famous of them all.
His nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
"Pipette" was a reference to his smoking
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
habits, which at several stages saw him smoking on the field. Quite famously in a game against Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, he actually caught the ball whilst holding a cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
in his other hand. While he often had unusual habits for a sportsman, there was no denying his talent, he was a master at kicking in play and in overall attack he was both unorthodox and unpredictable. Aside from his playing skill, he developed a reputation based on his somewhat eccentric
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
attitude or charismatic manner. He was known to not tackle a player if he believed it would demonstrate the fault of his team-mates for not previously making the tackle, a cause of some controversy during his career.
The pinnacle of Aubert's career was on the 1951 tour of Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, when he played in twenty-five of France's twenty-nine matches, and scored a record 221 points. Puig-Aubert's performances in 1951 earned him his country's Champion of Champions title - the first time a footballer from any code had been so honoured.
In 1988 he was inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame
Rugby League Hall of Fame
The Rugby League Hall of Fame is an International Hall of Fame that was combined and continually has additions from the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame, British Rugby League Hall of Fame, Fédération Française de Rugby à XIII and the...
.
Childhood and early career
Originally being born in AndernachAndernach
Andernach is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of currently about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the Neuwied basin on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village of Fornich in the north and the mouth of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to a German mother and a French father the Puig family would emigrate to Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
while Robert was still in his infancy and it was here where Robert would carve out his immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
in French sport and rugby.
While in his adolescence
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
Robert's father Alphonse Puig (a former French
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international) encouraged his son to take up the game of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. Robert originally trialled with the USA Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
side and was quickly signed by the club and placed into their junior ranks where in 1943 he helped Perpignan capture the junior French championship.
At the beginning of 1944 the Vichy government
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
would lose power meaning that the sport of rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
was no longer outlawed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Robert ended his playing days of rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and decided to sign with his local club in rugby league AS Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne are a professional rugby league football club based in Carcassonne in the south of France. They play in the French rugby league championship and are one of the most successful clubs in French rugby league, having won a total of ten French Championship titles and eleven Lord Derby Cups...
.
Carcassonne
Still a teenager Robert signed for Carcassonne at the beginning of the 1944 season in the newly re-established French championshipFrench rugby league championship
The French rugby league championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties....
now that rugby league was no longer an outlawed sport in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Later on that year Puig was named in the starting thirteen for a regular season fixture but with several other more established players in both sides with the last name Puig a local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
editor printed his name back-to-front to avoid confusion and since that day he was forever referred to as Puig Aubert.
Over the next nine years with his home town club Aubert achieved immense success that would cement his place as a legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
of Carcassonne, rugby league and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
while also earning his first national team
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
cap in 1944. He would go on to lead the club (more often than not as captain) to four French championship titles
French rugby league championship
The French rugby league championship has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France and Monaco since the sport was introduced to the country in the thirties....
, four Lord Derby cups
Lord Derby Cup
The Lord Derby Cup , also known as French Rugby à XIII Cup, is the premier knock-out competition for the sport of rugby league football in France. It is open to all French rugby league clubs....
and runners-up in the championship on four occasions along with three runners-up medals in the Lord Derby cup.
Catalans
After a decade of success helping to lead Carcassonne to eight combined titles including two doubles in French rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
Aubert left the only professional club he had ever been a part of to move to the rival XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan were a French rugby league team from Perpignan, in the Catalan Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. They were founded in 1935, and thus were founding members of the French rugby league championship...
club where he would captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
them for the next four years. While at XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan
XIII Catalan were a French rugby league team from Perpignan, in the Catalan Pyrénées-Orientales region of France. They were founded in 1935, and thus were founding members of the French rugby league championship...
his fitness became somewhat of an issue with his weight often fluctuating between five to ten kilos over the next several years combined with his still constant chain smoking
Chain smoking
Chain smoking is the practice of lighting a new cigarette for personal consumption immediately after one that is finished, sometimes using the finished cigarette to light the next one. It is a common form of addiction.-Causes:...
meant he found competing in the ever professional championship competition harder as the years progressed.
During his time at the Catalanian
Northern Catalonia
Northern Catalonia is a term that is sometimes used, particularly in Catalan writings, to refer to the territory ceded to France by Spain through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659...
organisation he would gain another French championship title in his final year with the club in 1957.
Celtic de Paris
With his footballing career beginning to wind down Aubert moved to the French capital and took up a position with lower division Celtic de Paris. Though his lack of enthusiasm for training began to have negative effects on his rugby league ability and his weight ballooned to over 100 kilograms at one stage, which was around forty kilograms more than he weighed at the peak of his ability in the 1950s.After a year spent in the capital with the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
club Aubert longing to move back to the south of France decided not to renew another contract in the capital and left the club.
RC Castelnaudary
In 1959 Aubert signed for lower division side CastelnaudaryCastelnaudary
Castelnaudary is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in south France. It is in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital, and of which it is a major producer....
but with his weight and fitness problems continuing to decline he was only limited to several appearances for the season before he altogether retired from competitive rugby league football at the age of thirty-five with the completion of the season.
France
Aubert made his international rugby league debut for the French national sideFrance national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
at fullback
Rugby league positions
A rugby league football team consists of thirteen players on the field, with four substitutes on the bench. Players are divided into two general categories: "forwards" and "backs"....
during the 1944 season while on tour in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. He immediately achieved a cult following and status among rugby league fans and the sporting public for his unorthodox
Unorthodox
Unorthodox refers to something that is not orthodox.Unorthodox may also refer to:In music:* Unorthodox , a song by Wretch 32* Unorthodox , a doom metal band from Maryland...
and unpredictable play coupled his lax attitude towards defence (often saying it was not the fullbacks job to tackle; other times claiming he was punishing fellow players for missing a tackle before him) and his odd onfield antics such as often playing while smoking at the same time. During half time breaks he was known to drink up to three glasses of red wine, and after scoring tries would occasionally leave a small hand written poem behind the opposing team's goal line designed to castigate and infuriate them. Despite all of this he was universally recognised amongst the rugby league fraternity as somewhat of a genius
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
for his amazing kicking skill that he possessed in all of its forms.
In 1954 Aubert led his French side as captain into the inaugural World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
competition where he would score the first drop goal and the first penalty goal
Penalty (rugby)
In rugby football, the penalty is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit deliberate infringements. The team who did not commit the infringement are given possession of the ball and may either kick it towards touch , attempt a place kick at goal, or...
in World Cup history while leading his team to a 22-13 victory over New Zealand
New Zealand national rugby league team
The New Zealand national rugby league team has represented New Zealand in rugby league football since intercontinental competition began for the sport in 1907. Administered by the New Zealand Rugby League, they are commonly known as the Kiwis, after the native bird of that name...
at Paris' Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
on October 30, 1954. During the competition he would score twenty six points and lead his team into the final against the British
Great Britain national rugby league team
The Great Britain national rugby league team represents the United Kingdom in rugby league football. Administered by the Rugby Football League , the team is nicknamed "The Lions" or "Great Britain Lions"....
where they would narrowly lose by four points 16 to 12.
The height of his success was when he captained France on the 1951 tour of Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
. They won the Test series against Australia with Aubert kicking eighteen goals from eighteen attempts, a record never since topped by any tourist. The opposition halfback
Rugby league positions
A rugby league football team consists of thirteen players on the field, with four substitutes on the bench. Players are divided into two general categories: "forwards" and "backs"....
in that series Keith Holman
Keith Holman
Keith Victor Holman, MBE was an Australian rugby league footballer, a national and state representative whose club career was played with the Western Suburbs Magpies from 1949 to 1961. He has since been named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century...
would go on to state "I've never seen his equal, A terrific player and a terrific gentleman. As a goalkicker he had no equal - and no one since can compare. One day at practice on the Sydney Cricket Ground I saw him do something I've never before or since. He placed the ball where the corner post usually stands and with a remarkable kick curved it around between the goalposts for a `goal'".
During that tour Puig Aubert played in twenty-five of France's twenty-nine matches, and scored a record 221 points (with 163 in Australia), outdoing the efforts of the British great Jim Sullivan. His performances during 1951 earned him the Champion of Champions title awarded by the French sporting newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
L'Equipe making him the first time a football
Football
Football may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
er from any code had been so honoured.
Over a span of ten years in the international game Aubert would make forty-six appearances for the national side
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
scoring a total of 361 collective points in his twenty-seven test matches, four World Cup appearances and fifteen European cup
Rugby League European Nations Cup
The European Cup is a rugby league football tournament for European nations that was first held in 1935. The tournament was first started in 1935, with England, Wales and France each playing each other once...
caps including two victorious tournament campaigns.
Point scoring summary
| Games | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | * | * | - | 361 |
Matches played
| Team | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|
| France | 46 | 1946–1956 |
Life After Rugby League
After his retirementRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
from the game professionally at the end of the 1960 season Aubert worked simultaneously as a commercial employee for the Paul Ricard company while also ironically acting as a trainer for AS Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne are a professional rugby league football club based in Carcassonne in the south of France. They play in the French rugby league championship and are one of the most successful clubs in French rugby league, having won a total of ten French Championship titles and eleven Lord Derby Cups...
working with the junior level teams. In 1969 Aubert was selected to lead the French national team
France national rugby league team
The France national rugby league team represent France in international rugby league tournaments. They are also sometimes referred to as "Les Tricolores" or more commonly "Les Chanticleers"...
selection committee a position he held for the next decade.
As the years passed Auberts habit of chain smoking would eventually catch up with him and in the late 1980s he was diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in his lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
s. Puig would later die of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in his home town of Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
on June 3, 1994.
Six years after his death his original club commissioned a 300 kilogram, 1.7 metre tall bronze statue in his honor outside the AS Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne
AS Carcassonne are a professional rugby league football club based in Carcassonne in the south of France. They play in the French rugby league championship and are one of the most successful clubs in French rugby league, having won a total of ten French Championship titles and eleven Lord Derby Cups...
club ground Stade Albert-Domec. A commemorative plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
was fastened to the statue reading: "With Puig-Aubert, symbol of Rugby with XIII; Champion of the world under the tricolour shirt; Champion of the French champions for the year 1951".
In 2004, Bernard Pratviel devoted the book Immortal Pipette to him.