Maurice Porra

Maurice Porra, born on May 1906, in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) and died on September 2, 1950, in the same town, was both a French international rugby union & league player, who played hooker in the 1920s and 1930s.

Trained as a rugby union player at the Stade athlétique Perpignanais, Maurice Porra went on to play for F.C. Auch and then F.C. Lézignan, reaching the French championship final in 1929, losing to U.S. Quillan. Following this final, F.C. Lézignan was suspended for a year by the French Rugby XV Federation, forcing Mr. Porra to join F.C. Lyon. He became a benchmark hooker and was selected for the French team against Ireland shortly before France's ban from the Five Nations Tournament. This selection had serious consequences for Mr. Porra, who was forced by the Federation to leave F.C. Lyon, which then declared itself a dissident club of the French Federation and launched the Union française de rugby amateur. After some hesitation and contradictory statements, he gave in and joined S.U. Agen just after his selection, but his rugby license was withdrawn. He played no matches for S.U. Agen between 1931 and 1933, when he returned to Perpignan, as the Federation upheld his deregistration.

In January 1934, at Jean Galia's invitation, he took part in the first French XIII rugby event, the Pioneers tour. From then on, he played XIII rugby. At the start of the 1934-1935 season, he became one of the stars of the French championship, signing for SA Villeneuve and winning the first edition of the 1935 French championship with Galia, Max Rousié, and Marius Guiral. He later joined the XIII Catalan de Perpignan and added a new title to his list of honours, the Coupe de France in 1939. At the same time, he also became a French international, taking part in the 1935, 1936, and 1937 editions of the European Cup of Nations.

Mobilized by the Second World War, which put an end to his sporting career, Porra subsequently became coach, first of RC Catalan (the name given to the XIII Catalan in the Quinzist version following the ban on XIII rugby) and then of Stade Aurillacois, before returning to Perpignan and the XIII Catalan when the war ended. He then coached Céret Sportif in XV rugby.