The Dragons Catalans Rugby League side brings together local talent with the cream of international Rugby League, here in the form of Australian international Steve Menzies, pictured in 2012. Menzies played 71 games for the Dragons, between 2011 and 2013.
Introduction
In France, Rugby League is not perhaps the most fashionable code of Rugby. But it does have the proud distinction of having been banned by the Nazis’ French friends, making it a form of the game with special appeal to those who see themselves as a bit of a rebel.
IN 1940, Paris fell to the invading German army. Parts of France which were not actually occupied came under the authority of an extremely unpopular puppet government sympathetic to Nazi Germany, based in Vichy.
The influential men in Vichy were enthusiasts of the English sport of Rugby, because (they said) they admired its noble amateur code. But in southern France another form of the game had been flourishing since the early 1930s: Rugby League, a faster, more swashbuckling Rugby originating in the manufacturing towns of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and this was a game for professionals.
To the delight of the French Rugby Union, the Vichy government banned Rugby League, along with Badminton and other sports considered unfit for their supposedly advanced European society; as late as the 1990s, the sport was still prohibited from marketing itself as ‘rugby’, only ‘jeu-à-treize’, game-for-thirteen. It remains the poor relation of Rugby Union in France, but Catalans Dragons from Perpignan play among the world’s elite in Britain’s Super League.
Précis
During the German occupation of France in the 1940s, the collaborating Vichy goverment banned Rugby League on the grounds that unlike the amateurs of Rugby Union, its players were professionals. This prejudice continued, and it is only since the 1990s that the French game (still the poor relation of Rugby Union) has been able to call itself ‘Rugby’ again. (59 / 60 words)
During the German occupation of France in the 1940s, the collaborating Vichy goverment banned Rugby League on the grounds that unlike the amateurs of Rugby Union, its players were professionals. This prejudice continued, and it is only since the 1990s that the French game (still the poor relation of Rugby Union) has been able to call itself ‘Rugby’ again.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: despite, if, just, may, must, or, unless, whereas.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Advance. Its. Not.
2 Influential. Noble. Relation.
3 Army. Base. Sympathetic.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1.
Come.
2.
Early.
3.
Fall.
4.
Late.
5.
More.
6.
Most.
7.
Poor.
8.
Remain.
9.
Still.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding in-.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
blt (6)
belt. bleat. bloat. blot. bolt. built.
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