Jean Galia

Jean Galia

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Personal information
Born	(1905-03-20)20 March 1905 Ille-sur-Têt, France
Died	Toulouse, France
Playing information
Rugby union
Position	Lock, No. 8
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
19??–??	US Quillan
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1927–31	France	20	?	?	?	9
Rugby league
Position	Second-row
Club
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
19??–??	Villeneuve
Representative
Years	Team	Pld	T	G	FG	P
1934–36	France	7	3	0	0	9

Jean Galia (born 20 March 1905 in Ille-sur-Têt, Pyrénées-Orientales, died 1949 in Toulouse) was a French rugby union and rugby league footballer and champion boxer. He is credited with establishing the sport of rugby league in France in 1934, presenting it also through the expression: jeu à treize.

Playing in the forwards, Galia made his international debut for the France national rugby union team in a 1927 test against England in Paris. After 20 internationals, He later played in France's first ever rugby league international, also against England in Paris, on 15 April 1934 and was captain of the France national rugby league team in its early days. Following France's tour of Northern England, Galia arranged a series of demonstration matches around France.

The Courtney Goodwill Trophy, international rugby league's first, was presented for the first time in 1936 and depicted Galia, along with other pioneering greats of the code, James Lomas (Britain), Albert Baskiville (New Zealand) and Dally Messenger (Australia).

In 1988 Galia was inducted into the Rugby League Hall of Fame.

External links

• Jean Galia at scrum.com
• Jean Galia's introduction of the May 1934 Yorkshire's tour in France : Jean Galia's parent of the expression jeu à treize or Game of thirteen
• History of rugby league at napit.co.uk
• History of Rugby football in France at independent.co.uk

• “League Legends: fast facts about rugby league” at nsm.org.au