The Bouclier de Brennus (), or Brennus Shield in English, is a

trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...

awarded annually to the French

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

club that wins the domestic league. The shield was not named, as it is often believed, after the famous Gallic warrior Brennus but rather artist Charles Brennus, co-founder of the

Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques The Union of French Athletic Sports Societies () was a sports governing body in France. During the 1890s and early 1900s it organised numerous sports including athletics, cycling, field hockey, fencing, croquet, and swimming. However it is perh ...

(USFSA), the original governing body of

rugby union in France Rugby union in France is a popular team sport. Rugby union was first introduced in the early 1870s by British residents, which makes the country one of the few early exponents of the sport. Elite French clubs participate in the professional dome ...

. Charles Brennus sculpted the shield himself in 1892, based on an original design from his friend and fellow USFSA co-founder

Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic ...

, the man who founded the modern

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

. Standing high, wide and weighing around , the trophy consists of a brass shield and plaque both fixed on a wooden support made of ash. An integral part of French sporting folklore, the Brennus Shield is one of the most recognisable trophies in France.

History

The Bouclier de Brennus was the brainchild of baron

, the later founder of the modern

, who recognised the need for a trophy to be awarded to the first winner of the

domestic league set up by the

(USFSA), which was, at the time, the organisation in charge of all

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

sporting competitions in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. As president of USFSA, Coubertin went to his good friend Charles Brennus, himself member and co-founder of USFSA and professional engraver, to have a trophy made for the first final in French rugby history scheduled for . The creation was then named after the medallist and sculptor and does not refer to the famous Gallic warrior Brennus. Standing high, wide, thick and weighing around , the trophy consists of a

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

shield which includes the arms of USFSA as well as the moto "Ludus Pro Patria" (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "Games for Motherland"), a plaque which would receive the names of the clubs winning the trophy and finally a wooden support made from ash. Because Charles Brennus was also the president of Parisian club SCUF it was decided that this club would be the legal custodian of the trophy. Up until today tradition dictates that during the award ceremony that immediately follows the final of the

French league The French League (: "French League for Purge, purging, mutual aid (politics), mutual aid and European integration, European collaboration") was a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborationist French movement founded by Pier ...

, the trophy should be given to the winning team by 2 young players of Parisian club Sporting Club Universitaire de France (SCUF). Although they are the legal custodian of the trophy, SCUF have never won it. The closest the club came was in 1911 and 1913 when it lost the final on both occasions.

Today

Like other sporting trophies, the Bouclier de Brennus had a very eventful life and by the end of the 20th century was in battered condition. A century of celebrations and resulting mistreatment, including the shield being used as a tray,

skateboard A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. It is usually made of a specially designed 7–8-ply maple plywood deck and has polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks. The skateboard ...

surfboard A surfboard is a narrow plank used in surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding an ocean wave. They were invented in ancient Hawaii, where they were known as ''papa hee ...

on several occasions, had taken its toll. Players and rugby union supporters nicknamed it "''Le Bout de bois''" ( French for "The Piece of Wood"). The original trophy had to be used one last time in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

when it was discovered that one of

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

's titles was missing from the replica. It was therefore decided that the shield would be restored and kept in a safe place; a replica was made and awarded in lieu since 2004. The inaugural winner of the trophy was

Racing Club de France Racing Club de France, also known as RCF, is a French multi-sport club that was founded on 20 April 1882 under the name Racing Club. Racing Club changed its name to Racing Club de France (RCF) on 21 November 1885. The club is located at the Bois ...

1892 In Samoa, this was the only leap year spanned to 367 days as July 4 repeated. This means that the International Date Line was drawn from the east of the country to go west. Events January * January 1 – Ellis Island begins processing imm ...

. Up until 1898 only clubs from Paris could participate in the league; this changed in 1899 when

Stade Bordelais Stade Bordelais are a French rugby union club, based in Bordeaux. The club was established in 1889. Bordelais were a major force in the French championship during the 1900s. Until 2005–06, the senior team competed in the second level of dom ...

(Bordeaux) won the title and became the first club outside of Paris to win the shield. As of today, a total of 28 clubs have had the honour to see their name engraved on the hallowed trophy.

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

were the most recent first-time champions, having won their first title in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. The most recent champions are

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

in 2023, and they have the record of winning titles with twenty-two victories.

Winners

Wins by clubs

The following clubs have won the title: Bold indicates clubs playing in

2023–24 Top 14 season The 2023–24 Top 14 competition is the 125th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Format The top six teams at the end of the regular season (after all the teams played one another twice ...

Winners by season

* 1892 -

* 1893 -

Stade Français Stade Français Paris (known commonly as Stade Français, ) is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French ...

* 1894 -

* 1895 -

* 1896 -

Olympique de Pantin Olympique de Paris was a French association football team based in Paris which existed from 1908 to 1926. Founded with the name Olympique de Pantin, it won the Coupe de France in Coupe de France Final 1918, 1918 and played in the finals in Coupe d ...

* 1897 -

* 1898 -

* 1899 -

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

* 1900 -

* 1901 -

* 1902 -

* 1903 -

* 1904 -

* 1905 -

* 1906 -

* 1907 -

* 1908 -

* 1909 -

* 1910 - FC Lyon * 1911 -

* 1912 -

* 1913 -

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

* 1914 - AS Perpignan * 1915-1919 - ''No award due to WW1'' * 1920 -

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of southwestern France. It is ...

* 1921 - US Perpignan * 1922 -

* 1923 -

* 1924 -

* 1925 - US Perpignan * 1926 -

* 1927 -

* 1928 - Pau * 1929 - Quillan * 1930 -

Agen Agen (, , ) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne, southeast of Bordeaux. In 2021, the commune had a population of 32,485. Geography The city of Agen l ...

* 1931 -

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

* 1932 -

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

* 1933 -

* 1934 -

* 1935 -

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...

* 1936 -

Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...

* 1937 - Vienne * 1938 -

* 1939 -

* 1940-1942 - ''No award due to

WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

'' * 1943 -

* 1944 -

* 1945 -

* 1946 - Pau * 1947 -

* 1948 -

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...

* 1949 -

Castres Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect, Languedocian dialect of Occitan language, Occitan) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in the Occitania (adminis ...

* 1950 -

* 1951 -

Carmaux Carmaux (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in southern France. Industries The Compagnie minière de Carmaux has its origins in a coal mining concession granted in 1852 to Gabrie ...

* 1952 -

* 1953 -

* 1954 -

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

* 1955 -

* 1956 -

* 1957 -

* 1958 -

* 1959 -

* 1960 -

* 1961 -

Béziers Béziers (; ) is a city in southern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. Every August Béziers ho ...

* 1962 -

* 1963 -

Mont-de-Marsan Mont-de-Marsan (; Gascon dialect, Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a communes of France, commune and capital of the Landes (department), Landes Departments of France, department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. Population Milit ...

* 1964 - Pau * 1965 -

* 1966 -

* 1967 -

Montauban Montauban (, ; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Oc ...

* 1968 -

* 1969 -

Bègles Bègles (; Gascon language, Gascon: ''Begla'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Gironde Departments of France, department in southwestern France. It is a suburb of the city of Bordeaux and is adjacent to it on the south. Bègles station h ...

* 1970 - La Voulte * 1971 -

* 1972 -

* 1973 -

* 1974 -

* 1975 -

* 1976 -

* 1977 -

* 1978 -

* 1979 -

* 1980 -

* 1981 -

* 1982 -

* 1983 -

* 1984 -

* 1985 -

* 1986 -

* 1987 -

* 1988 -

* 1989 -

* 1990 -

* 1991 -

* 1992 -

* 1993 -

* 1994 -

* 1995 -

* 1996 -

* 1997 -

* 1998 -

* 1999 -

* 2000 -

* 2001 -

* 2002 -

* 2003 -

* 2004 -

* 2005 -

* 2006 -

* 2007 -

* 2008 -

* 2009 -

* 2010 - Clermont Auvergne * 2011 -

* 2012 -

* 2013 -

* 2014 -

* 2015 -

* 2016 -

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...

* 2017 - Clermont Auvergne * 2018 -

* 2019 -

* 2020 - ''No award due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

'' * 2021 -

* 2022 -

* 2023 -

References