The civil war in the 5 Nations rugby tournament, in our podcast

An English soldier dragging a protester on the Bloody Sunday, Bloody Sunday, January 30, 1972, in Derry, Northern Ireland.

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In “Minute Papillon!

", We find today a new episode of our series" Once upon a time in the history of sport ".

An episode related to the last staggered day of the 6 Nations Tournament and the France-Ireland rugby match this Saturday.

Back in 1972, in the history of rugby, when the 5 Nations Tournament, as it was called at the time, could not be completed.

Episode 4: Civil war and boycott, the 5 Nations Tournament without a winner, in 1972

One click in the player above to listen to this episode

This is not the first time that the famous European rugby competition, usually played in the spring, has ended in the fall due to an epidemic.

In 1962, the meeting between Ireland and Wales had been postponed to November, because of smallpox which was rampant among the Welsh.

In 2001, the foot-and-mouth disease epizootic forced the same Ireland to postpone three of its matches in September and October.

This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Irish had to wait to play their last two games.

The city of Derry, in Northern Ireland, in February 1972, a few days after the "bloody sunday", a bloody Sunday which saw the English army shoot at demonstrators.

- Michel Laurent / SIPA

But it was not the epidemics that penalized the club the most.

In 1972, it had to endure a boycott from its Celtic neighbors, Scotland and Wales, because of riots in Northern Ireland.

"Bloody Sunday" and boycott of the Irish team

An event as dramatic as it is emblematic, it was on January 30 of this year that “Bloody Sunday” occurred, a massacre in Derry which left 14 dead and 28 injured among demonstrators and passers-by.

The boycott of Ireland in 1972 may have deprived him of a grand slam, then within his reach.

For the first time, politics was invited into the tournament.

Our guest, rugby enthusiast Derek Gallagher, explains why Ireland is a nation apart in the world of the Ovalie.

If you want to learn more about this dramatic first time, one click into the audio player!

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