Somme Cup
 | |
| Sport | Rugby |
|---|---|
| History | |
| First winner | New Zealand Army rugby team |
The Somme Cup is a rugby trophy first won by a New Zealand Army team, known as the Trench Blacks, during World War I in 1917. It is claimed that around 60,000 people watched the match, which was won 40-0 by the New Zealand team.[1][2]
The cup depicts a soldier throwing a grenade, and was created by Georges Chauvel in 1917,[3] a French sculptor in the French Army at the time.[2]
The cup has been in a private collection since it was first won in the War.
In September 2015 the New Zealand Defence Force's rugby team, the Defence Blacks, played a commemorative match against a French team in Paris.[1]
In early 2016, the cup was put on display at the National Army Museum in Waiouru, as part of an exhibition about rugby during World War I.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "The Somme Cup 2015". WW100. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ a b c "First World War Rugby Trophy Now on Display at the National Army Museum". New Zealand Defence Force. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ^ Le Lanceur de grenades (1917) in base mémoire
External links
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