Euskadi. Pays Basque. Pais Vasco. Whatever you want to call it, few regions harbour such deep passion, respect and pride for their identity as the Basque Country.
Be it in the vibrant artistic southwest section of France or the ferocious industrial power of the north of Spain, this ancient place encapsulates a wide range of emotions, traits and historical events. But most importantly, its unique identity has managed to thrive for centuries, with rugby playing a key part.
Clubs such as Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque, Aviron Bayonnais, Anglet, Saint Jean de Luz, Mauleón, Getxo, Bera Bera and Ordizia are splashed across the Basque rugby canvas, captivating fans and, because of their geographical proximity, stoking fierce rivalries. The Bayonne-Biarritz enmity ranks among the greatest in world rugby.
The essence of Basque rugby is so much more than 46 players clashing on the field; it is a way of life. It is an undying passion, one which seizes even those were not born and raised Basque, as the great Patrice Lagisquet and Serge Blanco can attest.
The communion between the Spanish and French Basque communities has formed a two-way flow of talent. While the French Basque footballers leave their home to join Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, the Spanish Basque rugby men head in the opposite direction in the hopes of representing Bayonne, Biarritz or the other storied clubs further down the leagues.
For every Antoine Griezmann there’s a Jon Zabala, for every Bixente Lizarazu there’s a Kerman Aurrekoetxea. It is an intricate system which has provided the Spanish and French national teams with victories, yet brought little reward to the region which birthed those talents.
Basque folk do not wallow in melancholy, however. Lagisquet, nicknamed ‘the Bayonne Express’, spent a decade scoring tries in the Aviron back three, before crossing the divide to coach Biarritz to three Top 14 crowns and an EPCR Challenge Cup, did not hail from the Pays Basque himself.
I remember visiting France when I was young to take pictures with the Ikurrina [Basque country flag] because it wasn’t allowed in Spain. We couldn’t show how Basque we were, while our French counterparts have hoisted the Basque Country flags high.
“It is a powerful combination of people from different settings,” he says. “Some live by the ocean, others in the mountains, working as fishers, farmers, artisans. They all love their country; they are passionate for their history and the Basque language is one of the things that link all of them together.
“Even for someone like me, who didn’t speak the language, I understood their culture and how proud they are of it. If you go to the Basque Country, you will understand.”
Today, the former France wing is an icon in the region. He shares an anecdote which tells you all you need to know about the fervour of the place.
“In 2005 Biarritz played the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Munster in the Anoeta [located in San Sébastian] and the atmosphere was incredible. It wasn’t only due to Biarritz fans but also because of Basque fans who had bought the ticket to support us.
“I got emotional when I first stepped onto the pitch as I witnessed thousands of fans showing how deeply they cared for Biarritz and the Basque Country. They were supporting us, with the flags flying high and their loud voices making themselves heard.”
While Biarritz and Bayonne are not the only historical Basque teams, they have repeatedly clashed to earn the right to be the main Basque representative, as former Bayonne and Spain international Iñaki Laskurain tells us.
“They have inhaled that identity,” he says. “I remember visiting France when I was young to take pictures with the Ikurrina [Basque country flag] because it wasn’t allowed in Spain. We couldn’t show how Basque we were, while our French counterparts have hoisted the Basque Country flags high.
“Biarritz is called ‘Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque’, huh. Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque. They have adopted the symbology, created an identity, and fought to be its bearer.”
Having played and coached for some 40 years, Laskurain later became head of the Basque rugby federation, fighting to give the sport its place. Unsurprisingly, he found the reality between the French and Spanish side of the border to be completely different.
“If we don’t count football, rugby has to wrestle with handball, volleyball and basketball in Spain, all sports you can play indoors and on hard ‘wooden’ floors. And we are not in the school system. If you want to try to play rugby you have to find a club.
There’s a unity in the Basque Country, in life and rugby. They are connected by their culture. There’s a common identity shared by Biarritz, Bayonne, Anglet, Saint Jean de Luz – something you won’t find anywhere else in France.
“When I started playing in the 1980s, we didn’t have a rugby pitch to practice during the week. We played 60km from our homes on the weekend. Basically, we did 300 push-ups, sit-ups and crunches, ran for 20 minutes, went up and down the stairs, and then passed a ball for another 20 minutes on a small pitch or in an indoors pavilion. We had to be resilient if we wanted to play rugby. Thankfully, nowadays we have better conditions, but because how much cheaper, easier and more ingrained other sports are, rugby still has a long road ahead.”
While the playing talent continues to move north in search of professional contracts, Laskurain argues coaching nous must come the other way.
“Biarritz’s former president, Marcel Martin, used to say the key for the Basque Country was to combine the French rugby expertise with the Spanish economy and sociology to reach its full potential,” he says.
“There’s a reason why Biarritz and Bayonne like to come to San Sebastián to play.
“If we look closely, rugby became a thing in the Spanish Basque country because of two sources. One from San Sebastián, massively influenced by France, and the other from Bilbao, which thanks to the commerce with the British Isles, was influenced by the British.”
Even if they are divided by a border, Lagisquet feels the Euskadi breathes as one.
“There’s a unity in the Basque Country, in life and rugby. They are connected by their culture. There’s a common identity shared by Biarritz, Bayonne, Anglet, Saint Jean de Luz – something you won’t find anywhere else in France. That’s why they won the Provincial French Cup so many times!”
Spain’s captain, and a former Basque Country international himself, Zabala shares how this passion and pride persists nowadays.
“You always dream to play for your people, for where you came from, and I got that chance some years ago. It is one of those moments I won’t ever forget. We clashed against each other for the season, with great games between Gernika, Hernani, Ordizia, Getxo, and then we were selected to represent the Euskal national team. It created a unique connection between us all.”
The Basque player is a special one. They are highly valued in France because of their skills and ability to play rugby to its fullest extent.
The Section Paloise front-rower, who started his pro career when he joined the Aviron Bayonnais ranks back in 2016, dives into the next section of the whole thing we call Basque Country rugby: derbies.
“You have no idea how big those derbies can get. In 2020, my team, Anglet, was going to face Saint Jean de Luz, and for that game, they booked Bayonne’s Stade Jean Dauger. We were Nationale 2 [fourth tier] clubs, and more than 10,000 fans were there. This tells you all you need to know about how seriously Basque people take derbies and rugby.”
Be it Anglet versus Saint Jean de Luz, Mauleón against any of the former, or the classic Bayonne-Biarritz whopper, those local duels flesh out the true spirit of Basque rugby.
“There was a particular derby fans talked about a lot when I was coaching Biarritz: the 1992 Top 16 quarter-finals,” Lagisquet remembers.
“I was playing for Bayonne. It was an incredible game, not so good for me, and Serge Blanco made sure to remind me of that match every time we met. I scored a try that could’ve won us the game, but Serge Blanco kept saying to the referee that it was a forward pass, and, in the end, it was disallowed. Still, it is my favourite Bayonne-Biarritz clash of all time.”
He adds a second, equally dramatic, memory. The Top 14 access match of 2021, decided by a penalty shootout with Biarritz’s Steffon Armitage nailing the winning goal, is etched the annals of Basque rugby folklore. Biarritz sealed their place in the top flight and Bayonne crashed to the ProD2.
“Maybe it wasn’t the best of games quality-wise, but the atmosphere made it all worth it,” Lagisquet says. “It is an intense rivalry that doesn’t stop in the seniors, as you can find it in the espoirs [youth teams] and crabos. And like the Biarritz-Bayonne derby you will find more between other Basque rugby teams.
“Rugby is the most played sport in schools in the French Basque Country. Everybody supports their local club team with passion, and that’s an important thing to understand: they learn to play with their heart from a young age!”
These deeply engrained characteristics make top Basque players particularly coveted. Newly minted Champions Cup winner Maxime Lucu is a prime example.
What is more astonishing is that players who aren’t from the Basque Country quickly become part of it all.
“They are highly valued in France because of their skills and ability to play rugby to its fullest extent,” Lagisquet says.
“They know how to work in the forward pack, they learn to pass to both sides since they are small, and they have a knack to play good rugby. When I coached the Euskarians a couple of years ago, I had players from Federale 1 and 2 [third and fourth division] who had top level skills, passing the ball, supporting the ball carrier, and creating great running lines. The Basque player is a special one.”
For Laskurain, rugby is the sporting manifestation of what it means to be Basque.
“What is rugby if not a top-level physical sport, that demands that you to put your body on the line? Rugby in the Spanish Basque Country has managed to stay alive even if it isn’t the most played sport. It endures, it fights to survive. Again, that’s who we are, that’s our identity.”
Zabala adds: “The style of play of teams like Ordizia and Hernani tells you what our identity is all about. They are tough, fight for every inch, never give up or let go. You witness the same features and identity in Bayonne or Biarritz. And what is more astonishing is that players who aren’t from the Basque Country quickly become part of it all.”
Zabala hopes to pave the way for the next crop of burgeoning Basques to follow their dream, and help the region grow. For Lakusrain, the quest to propel the Basque Country onwards continues at all levels.
“Imagine what we could achieve if we had a Basque provincial or franchise team?” he ponders. “Between the Spanish and French regions there are five airports, four state of the art stadiums, a strong and trustworthy economic platform and a passionate identity.
“It is a dream I have and like [former Uruguay president] Pepe Mujica said. ‘Politics is like playing billiards. More than ever, you won’t make a winning play with your first shot, but the objective is where you leave the ball for the next play.’ Maybe I won’t be able to do it, but others might, and I hope to inspire the next generations to do it.”
In recent weeks, the Basque Country has been dealt a blow with the relegation of Biarritz from the ProD2 to the Nationale by the French rugby authorities, who cite financial concerns and uncertain guarantees of future investment. The club has laboured in the second tier but with such a sizeable and engaged following, the hope is, it will attract fresh funding and rise to the top once more.
This mythical place is a rich tapestry of passion and flair, rivalry and history, great cuisine and art and architecture, with rugby so deeply embedded in its heart.
Great story. Would love to go to a Bayonne or Biarritz game one day.
I would love to see a Basque Franchise team. Not least as it would accelerate Spain’s rise.
For the other sports, in France there are twice as many handball players than rugby players….
Antoine Griezmann played for Réal Sociedad but he was born in Mâcon, Burgundy. Maybe the most famous french basque footballer should be Didier Deschamps, born in Bayonne…
Great article, thanks Francisco. While match reports and analysis are always appreciated, this sort of cultural journalism, if we can call it that, is really what makes sports fans tick. I believe so, anyway.
As a South African, far from home, I would love to read more insights into club rugby culture across the world. Well, I would even love to hear more about our own clubs! Too often we focus on the polemics and miss a rich history that’s waiting to be tapped. I wait for the next installment!
My Dad played in the 50s and has a good knowledge of how Rugby spread. A good portion was British soldiers needing opposition teams. So in Georgia soldiers were protecting trade routes and taught locals to play.