On April 18th, 1926, the French Army’s Rugby Team, and its British counterpart met in the Stade de Colombes in front of the President Doumergue.

Even though “les Bleus” conceded the defeat by a score of 19 to 13, the press praised the French team’s bravery and particularly Yves Du Manoir’s one. He had just graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique and he delivered a wonderful performance. During his short international career (1925-1927), Yves Du Manoir captained the French Army’s Rugby Team three times. He also played eight games of the Five-Nations Tournament. After his early death due to a plane accident, the Stade de Colombes was renamed Stade Yves Du Manoir, four months after he passed away.

Many Rugby games were played between the French Army and the British Army in the interwar period. Those matches offered the opportunity to represent one’s nation, in peace, always with a boundless desire to defend one’s country. Those matches had a high level and were indeed very important for the country as proven by the presence of the French president Mr Doumergue for this game on April 18th, 1926.