The Rugby Groud Guide

Perpignan

 

Perpignan

               

Club: USA Perpignan

Founded: 1902 (as AS Perpignan)

               

City: Perpignan

Country: France

               

Internet: www.usap.fr

E-Mail:infos@usap.fr

               

Home: Colours  Blood and Gold

Away: Colours  

               

League (2013/14): Top 14

 

 

USA Perpignan: A Brief History and Introduction


Perpignan is a few kilometres inland from the Mediterranean, on the French side of the border with Spain that is marked by the Pyrenees. Just over 100,000 people live there. 

Historically, the town was part of Catalonia until it was ceded to France under the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees that ended the French-Spanish war. Ties to the Catalan identity remain strong. Everyone speaks French, but about a quarter of the population also speaks Catalan, and nearly half understand it. At Stade Aime Giral the signs are bilingual, although this is more of a marketing ploy to target would-be investors from Barcelona and its region than because anyone might get lost without them.


 

History


Perhaps the most obvious cultural link for any visitor is the Catalan flag, which can be seen waving everywhere in the region, but particularly at rugby games. To the uninitiated these flags look red and yellow; in fact the colours are blood and gold.  Legend has it that Wilfred the Hairy, Count of Barcelona, was lying wounded after fighting against the Saracens in the siege of Barcelona. King Louis the Pious came to visit him, fresh from the hard-fought victory. Seeing Wilfred’s golden shield next to the bed, Louis dipped his hand in the valiant soldier’s blood and drew it down the shield as a mark of honour that would be remembered by future generations. This romantic story is almost certainly apocryphal, but it remains a powerful part of the Catalan identity: the symbol of the rugby club is a diamond with four blood-coloured stripes on a field of gold.

 

The club was founded in 2002 as AS Perpignan, renamed US Perpignan in 1919 and adopted its present name in 1933. The club is known as USAP, Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignan. Originally there were two clubs in the town: Union Sportive Arlequins and Union Sportive Perpignan. The two merged in 1933, bringing an end to a bitter rivalry. In 1923 then had fought each other to a standstill in a 0-0 draw. There was blood on the grass and ten players were sent off.

Perpignan promote their Catalan identity feverishly, have a partnership with soccer giants Barcelona and adopted a Catalan motto, Sempre Endavant, which translates as “Always Going Forward.” The club’s home kit bears the Le Sang et Or (Blood and Gold) of the Catalan flag.

Sadly for their rabid supporters, the motto has held up off the pitch, but not always on it. So when they ended a 54-year title drought by beating Clermont in the 2009 final it sparked huge celebrations.

 

 

Updated October 2013

 

Copyright Miles & Miles Publishing 2013

Too much of a Good Thing? (Tue, 26 Nov 2019)
Is it just us, or is there just a little too much rugby at the moment? You couldn’t fault the World Cup or the action, but to get into the European Cup two weeks later feels just a little bit more of a burden than it should do. And then, having forgotten about it because … Continue reading Too much of a Good Thing?
>> Read more

Saracens in the Dock (Tue, 12 Nov 2019)
Just imagine for a moment what the last 10 days have been like if you are one of Saracen’s England players…You lose a World Cup Final, have to endure a long, tedious flight back to England, where, instead of an open-topped bus parade through London, you are met with the news that your club has … Continue reading Saracens in the Dock
>> Read more

The Championship Starts (Tue, 15 Oct 2019)
Greene King Championship London Scottish (13) v Newcastle Falcons (17) The Athletic Ground Saturday October 12,2019 The 2019/20 Greene King Championship season kicked off this weekend, though you would have been forgiven for not noticing. Probably something to do with a World Cup taking place on the other side of the world. Nevertheless, over a … Continue reading The Championship Starts
>> Read more

Premiership Rugby Cup (Tue, 24 Sep 2019)
There is a small matter of a World Cup taking place at the moment. It kicked off last Friday (September 20) and will dominate coverage of the sport for the next six weeks. As a consequence, the English domestic season, which normally starts at the beginning of September, was put back. The Gallagher Premiership has … Continue reading Premiership Rugby Cup
>> Read more

Rugby’s heavyweights ensure World Cup will garner Japan only fleeting prestige (Tue, 03 Sep 2019)
Rugby union is turning Japanese, but not for long. Once the World Cup is presented in Yokohama on 2 November and the bunting is swept up the hosts, like the other tier-two and -three nations making up the numbers, will slip back into relative obscurity for the next four years. Some will emerge briefly for … Continue reading Rugby’s heavyweights ensure World Cup will garner Japan only fleeting prestige
>> Read more

Print | Sitemap
© Miles and Miles Publishing

This website was created using IONOS MyWebsite.