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Fernand Taillantou

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Fernand Taillantou
Birth nameFernand Taillantou
Date of birth(1905-02-17)17 February 1905
Place of birthPau, France
Date of death9 January 1988(1988-01-09) (aged 82)
Place of deathPau, France
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight177 lb (80 kg; 12.6 st)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Wing
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Section Paloise ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1930 France 3 (9)

Fernand Taillantou (17 February 1905 - 9 January 1988) was a French rugby union player who played for the France national rugby union team.

Career

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A winger, Taillantou played club rugby for Section Paloise and was a member of the side which won the 1927–28 French Rugby Union Championship. He was capped three-times for France, all in 1930. His first Test came on 25 January, in France's first away fixture in the 1930 Five Nations Championship, a win over Ireland in Belfast.[1] He next appeared with France in Berlin on 6 April for a friendly against Germany, which the French won 31-0, with Taillantou scoring a hat-trick of tries from the wing.[2] His final Test was another Five Nations Championship game, a loss to Wales at home in Colombes on 21 April.[3]

Death of Michel Pradie

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Taillantou, through a late tackle, was responsible for the death of 18-year old Agen winger Michel Pradie in May 1930, who died from spinal injuries sustained during a semi-final match of the 1929–30 French Rugby Union Championship.[4]

Charged with manslaughter, Taillantou was put on trial in Bordeaux in a case which was covered with intense interest.[5] Court proceeding were overflowing with people and the controversy even caused questions to be raised in French parliament.[6][7] A total of 30 witnesses gave evidence, which included accounts stating Pradie did not have the ball when Taillantou tackled him and that he had "tried to draw Pradie's head down on his legs".[6][8] The referee however testified that he believed it was a normal tackle and Taillantou was not a brutal player, just strong.[8] During the trial his defence counsel consisted of three former French rugby players.[5]

In January 1931 he was found guilty of the manslaughter charge, it ruled that he had caused Pradie's death by "violent and unreasonable tackling" and exerting "vigorous pressure on his adversary's neck".[9] It was expressed that Taillantou had not moderated his movements and the tackle had been violent enough to dislocate Pradie's neck.[10] The judge sentenced Taillantou to a three-month suspended jail sentence and fined him 200 francs, in addition to courts costs.[11]

Taillantou deeply affected by what had happened and gave up the game of rugby.[12][6] He said that his weight dropped by 12 pounds that summer from the grief and worry.[13]

Coupled with the death three years earlier of Quillan hooker Gaston Riviera, a phrase was coined by French writer Paul Voivenel, rugby de muerte (translation: rugby of death), to refer to this era of rugby in France.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Ireland v France at Belfast". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Germany v France at Berlin". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - France v Wales at Colombes". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  4. ^ Richards, Huw (2011). A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union. Random House. ISBN 9781780573281.
  5. ^ a b "Brutal Football". The Age. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 10 January 1931. p. 12. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  6. ^ a b c "French Rugby Fatality". Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. 29 January 1931. p. 20. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  7. ^ Dine, Philip (2001). French Rugby Football: A Cultural History. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 84. ISBN 9781847880321.
  8. ^ a b "Manslaughter Charge". The News (Sports Edition). Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia. 10 January 1931. p. 5. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Rough Football". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 24 January 1931. p. 11. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Rugby Fatality". The West Australian. Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 24 January 1931. p. 13. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Footballer Convicted". The Argus. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 24 January 1931. p. 18. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  12. ^ "To Give Up "Rugger"". The Referee. Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 25 June 1930. p. 18. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Fatal Rugby Accident". The Straits Times. Singapore. 30 October 1930. p. 13. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  14. ^ Collins, Tony. The Oval World: A Global History of Rugby. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781408843727.
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