Yves du Manoir
Encyclopedia
Yves Frantz Loys Marie Le Pelley du Manoir, known as Yves du Manoir (August 11, 1904, Vaucresson
- January 2, 1928, Reuilly, Indre
) was a French rugby player.
Du Manoir was born in an aristocratic family; his father and mother were Viscount and Viscountess Le Pelley. He excelled at tennis
, rowing
, swimming
, gymnastics
and running
. He also liked motorcycles. But it was as a rugby player that he stood out. He joined Racing Club de France
, a Paris club, as he lived in the prestigious Rue de Rennes in the centre of the city. He was a versatile back, a good kicker and an excellent tackler, who played generally as fly-half.
He won his first cap for France at the age of 20 on Jan. 1, 1925 at Colombes
against Ireland
. Despite a 3-9 defeat, his flamboyant style made him the darling of the crowd, who chanted his name during the game, and he was chosen as man of the match. He went on to get seven other caps, one as captain against Scotland
in 1927.
The epitome of the perfect gentleman, Du Manoir was also a brain. He enrolled at the prestigious military school École polytechnique
, where he graduated as an air force second lieutenant in 1925.
On Jan. 2, 1928, France was hosting Scotland, but Du Manoir had to decline the invitation because that day he had to take an exam in military camp where he was officially stationed (in Avord, near Bourges
) to obtain his diploma that would allow him to qualify as a military pilot. The plane he got on, a Caudron 59, crashed a few minutes after take-off. Apparently, one wheel was caught in the branches of a poplar
. By a sad twist of fate, this happened exactly three years and a day after his first cap. The players learnt the news of the accident during the after-match functions. Georges Gerald, the France vice-captain and close friend of Du Manoir's with whom he played for Racing as centre, broke out in tears as he was making the traditional speech.
A monument was built where the accident happened. Barely four months after his death, Racing Club de France renamed its stadium
after him. This was where France was going to play almost all its international home fixtures until 1973. There is a statue of Du Manoir at the entrance of the stadium, where Racing Club de France
still plays today.
In 1932, Racing Club de France created a famous club competition named after him, the Challenge Yves du Manoir
, dedicated to the spirit of open play. Maybe the renowned French flair was born then.
Vaucresson
Vaucresson is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the Hauts-de-Seine department from the center of Paris.The people who live in the commune are called Vaucressonais. Vaucresson contains abundant parkland; 22 of its 308 hectares are classed as natural zones...
- January 2, 1928, Reuilly, Indre
Reuilly, Indre
Reuilly is a commune in the Indre department in central France. It is around 15 km south of Vierzon, and around 30 km west of Bourges. The area around Reuilly is noted for its wine — there is a designated Reuilly AOC.-References:*...
) was a French rugby player.
Du Manoir was born in an aristocratic family; his father and mother were Viscount and Viscountess Le Pelley. He excelled at tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and running
Running
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
. He also liked motorcycles. But it was as a rugby player that he stood out. He joined Racing Club de France
Racing Metro 92 Paris
Racing Métro 92 is a French rugby union club based in suburban Paris that was formed in 2001 with the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and US Métro. "92" is the number of Hauts-de-Seine, the département of Île-de-France, bordering Paris to the west, where they play, and whose council...
, a Paris club, as he lived in the prestigious Rue de Rennes in the centre of the city. He was a versatile back, a good kicker and an excellent tackler, who played generally as fly-half.
He won his first cap for France at the age of 20 on Jan. 1, 1925 at Colombes
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
The Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir - stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France . Named in memory of French rugby player Yves du Manoir in 1928. Was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time...
against Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
. Despite a 3-9 defeat, his flamboyant style made him the darling of the crowd, who chanted his name during the game, and he was chosen as man of the match. He went on to get seven other caps, one as captain against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
in 1927.
The epitome of the perfect gentleman, Du Manoir was also a brain. He enrolled at the prestigious military school École polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, where he graduated as an air force second lieutenant in 1925.
On Jan. 2, 1928, France was hosting Scotland, but Du Manoir had to decline the invitation because that day he had to take an exam in military camp where he was officially stationed (in Avord, near Bourges
Bourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
) to obtain his diploma that would allow him to qualify as a military pilot. The plane he got on, a Caudron 59, crashed a few minutes after take-off. Apparently, one wheel was caught in the branches of a poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
. By a sad twist of fate, this happened exactly three years and a day after his first cap. The players learnt the news of the accident during the after-match functions. Georges Gerald, the France vice-captain and close friend of Du Manoir's with whom he played for Racing as centre, broke out in tears as he was making the traditional speech.
A monument was built where the accident happened. Barely four months after his death, Racing Club de France renamed its stadium
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
The Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir - stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France . Named in memory of French rugby player Yves du Manoir in 1928. Was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time...
after him. This was where France was going to play almost all its international home fixtures until 1973. There is a statue of Du Manoir at the entrance of the stadium, where Racing Club de France
Racing Metro 92 Paris
Racing Métro 92 is a French rugby union club based in suburban Paris that was formed in 2001 with the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and US Métro. "92" is the number of Hauts-de-Seine, the département of Île-de-France, bordering Paris to the west, where they play, and whose council...
still plays today.
In 1932, Racing Club de France created a famous club competition named after him, the Challenge Yves du Manoir
Challenge Yves du Manoir
The Challenge Yves du Manoir was a rugby union club competition that was played in France between 1931 and 2003 under different names. It is named after former player Yves du Manoir.-History:...
, dedicated to the spirit of open play. Maybe the renowned French flair was born then.