Until Les Bleus finally win the World Cup, March 23 1968 may well rank as the greatest day in French rugby history. It was on that day that they won their first ever Grand Slam, thanks to a 14-9 win over Wales.
It was the final game of the Five Nations and took place a couple of days after the end of term at my boarding school, so I was able to take the train down from Worcester with a couple of friends. My dad was friendly with Bill Hullin, the Cardiff and Wales scrum-half, so we were okay for tickets for the old North Terrace.
After wins over Scotland, Ireland and England (8-6 at Murrayfield, 16-6 and 14-9 at Stade Colombes), France had already won the championship, for the fifth time. Wales had drawn 11-11 at Twickenham, beaten Scotland 5-0 in Cardiff and lost 9-6 in Dublin, so the best they could do was finish as joint runners-up, with Ireland.
France’s captain that season was the Tarbes and Toulon flanker Christian Carrère. Alongside him in the back row was the great Walter Spanghero. Elie Cester, a particular favourite of the French President Georges Pompidou, was one of the locks, while Michel (father of Dmitri) Yachvili was their hooker.
The three-quarter line was dripping with French flair. In the centre were Jo Maso and Claude Dourthe (father of Richard, father-in-law of Raphael Ibanez and Olivier Magne). One of the wings was the stylish André Campaes , while the experienced Claude Lacaze was at full-back. Despite all that attacking talent, this was a team which favoured a more pragmatic approach, thanks to the half-back pairing of brothers Guy (fly-half and father of Didier) and scrum-half Lillian Camberabero. Their final try tally for the season was seven. Pretty underwhelming, but still far better than the rest, as Wales could only manage four, England and Ireland three each, while wooden spoon winners Scotland only crossed the line once.
The Welsh team was captained by Gareth Edwards, with fellow legend Barry John his half-back partner. John Dawes was in the centre, while the pack included Delme Thomas, John Taylor and Dai Morris.
All the ingredients were in place for a classic, but it turned out to be anything but. It poured with rain all day and the notorious Arms Park surface was even more of a quagmire than usual. At this point, I would love to provide a detailed account of what happened on the pitch. Unfortunately, I can’t remember a thing about it, other than the fact that it was a stinker.
The records show that Wales led 9-3 at halftime, thanks to a try by winger Keri Jones and two penalties from the boot of Swansea full-back Doug Rees. The second half saw tries by the French skipper and Lillian Camberabero, with brother Guy adding a conversion and a second penalty. I have a vague recollection that Carrère might have wriggled over from close range, running the severe risk of drowning, but that unreliable snippet is all that II can salvage from the memory bank. I do know that it was the final game for the Camberabero brothers.
One memory does linger - that of the ecstatic French fans. They have long been my favourite supporters, since they always make sure that they enjoy the occasion, win or lose. ‘Allez Les Bleus’ and the stirring Marseillaise rang loud and long around the old Arms Park and the visiting supporters gave the centre of Cardiff an atmosphere which, despite the weather, was more like the south of France than South Wales. I hope I’m still around and in French company, preferably in France, when they eventually win the World Cup. It’ll be one hell of a party!
It was the end of an era. It was the final game at the old Cardiff Arms Park before the bulldozers and builders moved in to transform it into the National Stadium. The terrace under the old North Stand had been the heartbeat of the stadium and the band always used to position itself just in front of the crowd, there with the conductor directing their singing. Today’s Principality Stadium may be one of the great rugby venues, but even its passionate atmosphere can never match that of the old North Terrace - in the humble opinion of someone of a certain age, who prefers Calon Lan to Delilah!
Wales were about to enter their golden era. They won the Championship the following year, before sharing it with France in 1970. Then came Grand Slams in 1971, 1976 and 1978, with championship titles in 1975 and 1979. France had to wait until 1977 for their next title and Grand Slam, before enjoying their own golden era in the 1980s. Grand Slams in 81 and 87, the championship in 89 and shared titles in 83,86 and 88.
One other thing about that soggy day in Cardiff does stick out. All the French backs were under six feet tall and under 13 stones in weight . Maso and Campaes were the tallest and heaviest at 5’11” and 12 stone 9. That was also the weight of right-winger Jean-Marie Bonal, whose height was 5’9”. Dourthe was 5’10” and 12 stone 4, Lacaze and Guy Camberabero were both 5’7” tall and weighed 11 stone and 10 stone 2 respectively. Smallest of all was Lilian Camberabero, at a towering 5’5” and weighing just 10 stone. A different world!
Unfortunately for that French team, their historic achievement was soon nudged from history’s front page by events which took place in May, when student protests sparked civil unrest which lasted seven weeks, brought the economy to a halt, led to a one-day general strike and forced the collapse of the government and a snap election. At one point, President de Gaulle boarded a helicopter and fled to Germany for several hours.
Crazy times. That game in Cardiff may have been a miserable mudbath, but I’d rather remember it than what followed a few weeks later.
Memory added on February 10, 2021
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