An oil on canvas from a series exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants in 1913, "Cardiff Team" is an essential key to understanding the work of Robert Delaunay.

Adopting the techniques of Cubism by Braque and Picasso, he uses simultaneous contrasts of colors to rhythm his work, emphasizing movement and speed, major elements of his reflection on what he witnessed in his time.
He evokes these elements even more by abandoning abstraction in favor of representing a rugby scene as the main subject of this painting, a sport whose popularity was growing mainly in the French capital since its inclusion in the 1900 Olympics and France's admission to the Tournament in 1910.

The choice of the scene is not left to chance; the line-out is to rugby the action during which a player rises into the air to catch the moving ball.
In coherence with the composition of the painting, this elevation can easily bring us back to the notion of progress that the numerous industrial and technological revolutions of the early 20th century represented in the painter's eyes.

Fascinated by the field of aeronautics, Delaunay offers us a rugby scene in harmony with the aerial references present in the background, such as the Ferris wheel, the essentialized young Eiffel Tower pointing to a sky in which old airplane models fly, as well as an "Astra - Société construction aéroplane" advertising panel.
He also makes sure to write his name on one of these panels, whose appearance in the centers of large French cities was subject to much debate, their colors and advertising objectives notably contrasting with the sobriety, or even austerity, of the buildings.

In summary, this aesthetically timeless painting is, in addition to being an artistic revolution due to its inspirations, an ode to modernity transcribed by geometric shapes, color, and movement, recounting the major changes of an era of which Robert Delaunay is a brilliant witness.