Bouclier de Brennus
The Bouclier de Brennus (Eng. Brennus shield ) is a challenge cup for winning the Rugby Union Championship in France , today's top 14 . It is not named after a Gallic warrior named Brennus , as is often assumed, but after the artist Charles Brennus , a founding member of the USFSA sports association (predecessor of the Fédération Française de Rugby ).
Charles Brennus created the award in 1892 based on an original design by his friend Pierre de Coubertin , who was also a founding member of the USFSA and who two years later founded the modern Olympic Games . The most coveted award in French rugby consists of a shield and plaque made of brass ; both are set in a frame made of ash wood . The shield's nickname is planchot , which means "board" in Occitan .
The trophy was played for the first time on March 20, 1892, the first French champion was the Racing Club de France . Although the Sporting Club Universitaire de France (SCUF) from Paris (which Charles Brennus co-founded) is the official donor of the trophy, it was never able to win it itself. The team lost the championship final in 1911 and 1913. The trophy is presented by the SCUF juniors.
A detailed copy of the trophy has existed since 2003, as the original shield was in very poor condition after more than a century of championship celebrations. The original has been restored and is on display in the Museum of the Fédération Française de Rugby . So far, 27 different clubs have won the trophy.
