Loms linguistic guide to surviving French rugby

Le scallywag?
By Lom the Linguist
October 16 2002

Lomulators on stun! Lom our very own resident linguistic expert brings you her very own guide to surviving French rugby lingo. Quite how well she does in Basque remains to be seen but personally i'll just stick with 'Nurf beeairs sill voo play!'

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks …" and this may seem like a lot of words but it'll help you make some sense of the match previews and reports in L'Equipe (the French sports daily) or Midi-Olympique (aka Midol)!

French English
J'adore le rugby I love rugby
il (ne) connait pas les règles du jeu he doesn’t know the rules/laws of the game
le(s) joueur(s) the player(s)
l'équipe/l'effectif the team/the squad
ancien club former club
nom surname/family name (usually in block caps & given first in French eg BROUZET Olivier, LAM Pat)
prénom first/Christian name
surnom nickname eg Olivier Brouzet says his nickname in France was "Bruiseman" (but he's "Bruiser" to many Saints fans). The French think the "walkman" idea is "cool" and so use it often
date de naissance date of birth
taille (1,85) height (in metres - 1.85m)
poids (110) weight (in kilos - 110kg)
les avants/arrières the forwards/the backs
1) le pilier gauche loosehead prop
2) le talonneur hooker
3) le pilier droit tighthead prop
4) 2e (deuxième) ligne blindside 2nd row/lock
5) 2e ligne openside 2nd row/lock
6) 3e ligne aile blindside flanker
7) 3e ligne aile openside flanker
8) 3e ligne centre No 8/flanker
9) demi de melée scrum half
10) demi de ouverture stand off/fly half
11) ailier gauche left wing/winger
12) le centre centre
13) le centre centre
14) ailier droit right wing/winger
15) arrière full back
l'entraineur coach
le(s) remplaçant(s) sub(s)
être/rester sur le banc to be/remain on the bench
le kiné(sithérapeute) the physio(therapist)
l'arbitre est aveugle! the ref(eree)'s blind!
l'arbitre a sifflé/a tiré…de sa poche the ref's blown his whistle/taken ... from his pocket
un carton jaune/rouge a yellow/red card
le stade stadium
le tribune principal main stand
le terrain/la pelouse the pitch/grass
le pesage/les gradins the terraces
temps nuageux et doux/pluvieux cloudy yet mild/rainy weather ("temps" can also mean "time"!)
leger vent light wind (should normally read "un vent leger")
le ballon the ball
une melée a scrum
une transformation/un drop/essai a conversion/a drop goal/a try
hors-jeu out of play/into touch
marquer un essai to score a try
porter/botter/passer le ballon to carry/kick/pass the ball
un penalité a penalty (in rugby - but strangely in football it's "un penalty")
le mi-temps half time
le 3e (troisième) mi-temps (literally the 3rd half - post-match session/drinking, etc)
J5 (jour 5) (literally 5th day - normally weekend - of matches of the season)
4 500 spectateurs/une grande foule 4,500 spectators/a large crowd
une blessure an injury
les fautes mistakes
la défaite c'est le cauchemar Defeat's a nightmare!
Et pour finir, le grand espoir: And to finish, the great hope:
Northampton bat BO 53 à 17! Northampton beats BO 53-17!
Allez les Saints! Come on you Saints!