France national rugby union team

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Not to be confused with France national rugby league team.
France
France Rugby Logo.svg
Union French Rugby Federation
Nickname(s) Les Bleus; Les Tricolores;
Le XV de France
Emblem(s) the Gallic rooster
Ground(s) Stade de France
Coach(es) Phillipe Saint-Andre
Captain(s) Thierry Dusautoir
Most caps Fabien Pelous (118)
Top scorer Christophe Lamaison (380)
Most tries Serge Blanco (38)
Team kit
Change kit
First international
 France 8–38 New Zealand 
(1 January 1906)
Largest win
 Namibia 10–87 France 
(16 September 2007)
Largest defeat
 New Zealand 61–10 France 
(9 June 2007)
World Cup
Appearances 7 (First in 1987)
Best result Runners up, 1987, 1999, 2011

The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams. Eight former French players have been inducted into either the International Rugby Hall of Fame or the IRB Hall of Fame—two to the International Hall only, two to the IRB Hall only, and four to both Halls of Fame.

Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Year's Day 1906 the national side played its first Test match — against New Zealand in Paris. France played sporadically against the Home Nations until they joined them to form a Five Nations tournament (now the Six Nations Championship) in 1910. France also competed in the rugby competitions at early Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in 1900 and two silver medals in the 1920s. The national team came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, winning their first Five Nations title outright in 1959. They won their first Grand Slam in 1968. Since the inaugural World Cup in 1987, France have qualified for the knock-out stage of every tournament. They have reached the final three times, losing to the All Blacks in 1987 and 2011 and to Australia in 1999. France hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, where, as in 2003, they were beaten in the semi-finals by England.

France traditionally play in blue shirts with white shorts and red socks, and are commonly referred to as les tricolores or les bleus. The French emblem is a golden rooster imposed upon a red shield. Their alternative strip is composed of a white shirt and navy blue shorts and socks. French international matches are played at several venues across the country; the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis is used for their games during the Six Nations, and they have a formidable home record at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille where they have only lost twice, to Argentina in 2004 and to New Zealand in 2009.

Contents

History [edit]

Main article: History of the French national rugby union team

Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by English merchants and students.[1] On 26 February 1890, a French rugby team recruited from the Janson Desailly Lyceum defeated an international team at the Bois de Boulogne.[2]

Although France were represented at the 1900 Summer Olympics,[3] their first official test match did not take place till New Year's Day, 1906 against the New Zealand All Blacks in Paris.[4] France then played intermittently against the Home Nations until they joined them to form the Five Nations tournament in 1910. In 1913 France faced South Africa's Springboks for the first time; losing 38–5.[5] France also competed at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics, and on both occasions lost to the United States in the gold medal match, Vicky LeDonne scored the winning goal.[3]

France were ejected from the Five Nations in 1932 after being accused of professionalism in the French leagues at a time when rugby union was strictly amateur.[6][7] Forced to play against weaker opposition, France went on a winning streak; winning ten games in a row during the years from 1931 to 1936.[8] France was invited to rejoin the Five Nations in 1939 but did not compete until 1947 as international rugby was suspended during World War II.[7]

French rugby came of age during the 1950s and 1960s: they won their first Five Nations championship and completed a successful tour of South Africa.[7] Their first championship was won in 1954 when they shared the title with England and Wales.[7][9] France won their first outright Five Nations championship in 1959; they won with two wins, a draw (against England) and a defeat (against Ireland).[9]

France first toured South Africa winning the test series in 1958. The Springboks also visited Paris in 1961, the test was not completed due to onfield fighting amongst the players. France also toured New Zealand and Australia in 1961 losing both tests against the All Blacks but defeating Australia's Wallabies. They won their first Five Nations Grand Slam in 1968 by beating all four other competing teams, and won numerous titles in the following years.[9]

France playing Wales during the Six Nations Championship.

In 1977, France won their second Grand Slam, fielding an unchanged side throughout the tournament and conceding no tries.[9][10] They also defeated the All Blacks in Toulouse that year, but lost the return match in Paris.[11] On Bastille Day, 1979 they defeated the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time, at Eden Park in Auckland.[12]

In 1981 the French clinched their third Grand Slam; at Twickenham against England.[9] They again completed a Grand Slam in 1987 on the eve of the first Rugby World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand. In that tournament they came from behind numerous times to defeat the Wallabies in their semi-final, and faced the All Blacks in final at Eden Park, Auckland; France lost 29–9. They shared the Five Nations with Wales the next year, and also won it in 1989.[9]

France hosted some of the tests during the 1991 World Cup, but made their exit from the after being knocked out by England at the Parc des Princes (Paris) in their quarter-final. One Five Nations championship was won in the early 1990s, in 1993. The following year France won a test series 2–0 in New Zealand in the 1994.[13] They were knocked out of the 1995 World Cup semi-finals by eventual champions the Springboks, but did win their third place play-off match against England. France played the All blacks in two tests, winning the first 22–15 at Toulouse and lost the second 37–12 at Paris. France won back-to-back Grand Slams in 1997 and 1998. At the 1999 World Cup they defeated tournament favourites the All Blacks in the semi-finals, but lost to the Wallabies in the final.[9]

The Five Nations Championship was expanded in 2000 to include Italy. In the now Six Nations Championship France won a Grand Slam in 2002.[9] At the 2003 World Cup in Australia they qualified for the semi-finals where they were defeated by eventual champions England. In 2004, they won a second Six Nations Grand Slam, which was followed by a Championship win in 2006 and a successful defence in 2007.[9]

During the opener of the World Cup 2007, Argentina defeated France 17–12. However, after defeating Ireland 25–3, France qualified for the quarter-finals. After defeating the New Zealand All Blacks 20–18, they lost to England 14–9 in the semi-final. France then lost for a second time to Argentina 34–10 in the third-place match. In 2010, France won its ninth Grand Slam.

During the 2011 Rugby World Cup, France defeated Wales 9–8 in the semi-final at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, on 15 October 2011 and in the following week they lost 8-7 to the All Blacks at the final.[14]

Strip [edit]

The jersey of the French rugby team, with the traditional Gallic rooster symbol

Until 1912, the strip (uniform) of the French team was white with two rings, one red and one blue. After the first game won by France against Scotland in 1911, France's captain Marcel Communeau asked that the team adopt the coq gaulois (Gallic rooster), historical emblem of France, as its symbol.[15] The Gallic rooster was probably chosen partly because it is considered as a proud and combative animal that can be sometimes aggressive, although it had been used previously as a symbol by French teams — a former soccer player, Jean Rigal, wore a uniform with this emblem as early as May 1910.[16] The badge was initially white and red, but was altered to a multicoloured, embroidered image after 1945, and has been golden since 1970.[17]

The symbol used by the French rugby team was a great success, and was later adopted by the French delegation at the Olympic Games of 1920 where the rooster was perched on five Olympic rings.[18] The rooster has since become a well-known symbol of French teams. French players are sometimes called les coqs and some French supporters have been known to release roosters on the playing field before games.[19]

The French team traditionally played in blue shirts, white shorts, and red socks, the colors of the national flag, and as such were nicknamed les tricolores. Due to the mostly blue strip the French team currently wears, the team is now often referred to as les Bleus (the Blues), like many other French sporting teams. When this strip clashes with that of their opponents, such as in games against Scotland and Italy, French players wear white. New strips were developed for the 2007 World Cup, one of which is a darker blue. In June 2011 they relaunched another kit which they wear blue shirt, blue shorts and blue socks for their home kit and they wear white shirt, white shorts and white socks for their away kit.

In 2011 the French Rugby Federation (FFR) announced that Adidas would be their new partner for a period of six years, with them taking over production of the French national rugby shirt from 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2018.[20] The latest French jersey was unveiled on 9 July 2012.

Home grounds [edit]

France hosting the All Blacks at the Stade de France which is in Saint-Denis, Paris

Historically, France played internationals at venues such as Parc des Princes and the Stade Olympique de Colombes, both in Paris.[21] The Stade Olympique de Colombes was the main venue for the 1924 Summer Olympics, where rugby was a sport.[3]

Ever since moving out of Parc des Princes at the end of 1997, France's main home venue has been the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, where their home Six Nations matches are played. It has a capacity of 80,000.[22] Since 2005, France has also played home internationals at the following venues around the country:

In June 2012, the FFR announced that plans were under way for a new rugby-dedicated stadium to be constructed in Évry, 25 kilometres south of Paris. The stadium is projected to cost 600 million euros and have a seating capacity of 82,000. It is scheduled for completion by 2017.[24]

World Cup venues [edit]

During the 1991 World Cup, Pool D (which included France) matches were played throughout France including Béziers, Bayonne, Grenoble, Toulouse, Brive and Agen. Parc des Princes and Stadium Lille-Metropole also hosted a quarter-final each.[25] Pool C fixtures at the 1999 World Cup were played throughout France in Béziers, Bordeaux and Toulouse. A second round match was held at Stade Félix Bollaert, and one quarter final was held at the Stade de France, both 2007 venues.

For the 2007 World Cup, France was the primary host, and there were ten venues used for matches throughout the country (Cardiff in Wales and Edinburgh in Scotland also hosted some games).[26] The French cities that hosted matches were Bordeaux (Stade Chaban-Delmas), Lens (Stade Félix Bollaert), Lyon (Stade Gerland), Marseille (Stade Vélodrome), Montpellier (Stade de la Mosson), Nantes (Stade de la Beaujoire), Paris (Stade de France, Saint-Denis and Parc des Princes), Saint-Étienne (Stade Geoffroy-Guichard), and Toulouse (Stadium de Toulouse).[26] The final was played at Stade de France.

Record [edit]

Six Nations [edit]

France competes annually in the Six Nations Championship, which is played against five other European nations: England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. France first contested the tournament in 1910 when the Home Nations became the Five Nations.[27] France were expelled from the tournament due to rumours of professionalism in the then-amateur sport in 1932, but rejoined in 1947. They first won the competition in 1954, sharing the championship with both England and Wales. France shared with Wales again the following season, and won it outright for the first time in 1959.[27] France's longest wait for a championship spanned 37 tournaments (1910–1954). The Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy is also contested between France and Italy during the Six Nations. Over the whole history of the Tournament, they are the third most-winning nation, eight wins behind England. However, it should be taken into account that France have been present in 30 fewer tournaments than the Home Nations. France has won almost exactly the same proportion of Six Nations Tournaments in which it has competed as England, and is the most successful nation in the post-WWII (1945–present) era.

 
England
France
Ireland
Italy
Scotland
Wales
Tournaments 117 84 119 14 119 119
Outright Wins (Shared Wins)
Home Nations 5 (4) NA 4 (4) NA 9 (2) 7 (4)
Five Nations 17 (6) 12 (8) 6 (5) NA 5 (6) 15 (8)
Six Nations 4 5 1 0 0 4
Overall 26 (10) 17 (8) 11 (9) 0 (0) 14 (8) 26 (12)
Grand Slams
Home Nations 0 NA 0 NA 0 2
Five Nations 11 6 1 NA 3 6
Six Nations 1 3 1 0 0 3
Overall 12 9 2 0 3 11
Triple Crowns
Home Nations 5 NA 2 NA 7 6
Five Nations 16 NA 4 NA 3 11
Six Nations 2 NA 4 NA 0 3
Overall 23 NA 10 NA 10 20
Wooden Spoons
Home Nations 11 NA 15 NA 8 8
Five Nations 14 17 21 NA 21 12
Six Nations 0 1 0 9 3 1
Overall 25 18 36 9 32 21

World Cup [edit]

The French have competed at every World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1987. Although they have yet to win a World Cup, they have participated in the play-off stage of every tournament, and have reached the final three times.

In 1987 France took on pre-tournament favourites Australia at Concord Oval for a place in the final. In one of the greatest World Cup matches,[28] the Australians appeared to be in control, leading 9-0, 15-12 and 24-21 at various stages of the match, only for the French to keep coming back.[28] With the scores locked at 24-24 and the prospect of extra time looming, the French scored one of the most memorable tries in rugby history.[28] Starting an attack from inside their own half, the French passed the ball through 11 pairs of hands before fullback Serge Blanco beat Wallabies hooker Tom Lawton to score a try in the corner.[28] France won 30-24, and would face co-hosts New Zealand in the final at Eden Park. The French had not fully recovered from their magnificent effort in the semifinal,[29] and New Zealand won the anti-climactic decider 29–9.[30]

In 1991 France met eternal arch-rivals England in the quarterfinal at Parc des Princes. Earlier in the year at Twickenham the two sides had played off for the Five Nations Grand Slam. The French scored three magnificent tries but were denied by the fearsome English forward pack.[31] In a very tense and brutally physical match, the scores were tied at 10-all when the French were awarded a scrum five metres out from the tryline. French number eight Marc Cecillon looked set to score the try that would have won the game for the French. Suddenly he was hit and driven back in a tackle from opponent Mick Skinner, a tackle which changed the momentum of the match.[31] England went on to win 19–10 and eventually reached the Final. At the end of the match, France coach Daniel Dubroca angrily assaulted New Zealand referee David Bishop in the players tunnel. He resigned soon afterward.[31]

In 1995 France finished third overall, defeating England 19–9 in the third/fourth place play-off after their defeat to South Africa in the semi-finals. After coming from behind to defeat the All Blacks in their 1999 semi-final,[32] France lost to Australia 35–12 in the final. In 2003 they finished fourth, losing the third/fourth place game to the All Blacks.[33] At the World Cup 2007, after defeating New-Zealand 18–20 in the quarter-final, France lost out to England in the semi-finals losing 14–9 after finishing the break 5–6 ahead. France lost to Argentina in the bronze final to finish the tournament fourth.

France's 2011 campaign was marked by turmoil within the camp; reports before the tournament indicated as many as 25 of the 30-member squad had turned against head coach Marc Lièvremont.[34] In pool play, France had unimpressive wins over Japan and Canada, an expected loss to New Zealand, and a shock loss to Tonga. During this stage, Lièvremont heavily criticized the team in the media, further angering many of his players, with number 8 Imanol Harinordoquy publicly critical of Lièvremont.[35] Despite the losses, they qualified for the knockout stage. At this time, the players effectively rebelled against Lièvremont; after the tournament, Harinordoquy would tell the French rugby publication Midi Olympique, "We had to free ourselves from his supervision."[34] The team responded by defeating England 19–12 in the quarter final and controversially beating Wales 9–8 in the semi-final after Welsh captain Sam Warburton was sent off. The French proved admirable opponents in the final, however, losing out to New Zealand 8–7 to finish second for the third time in a Rugby World Cup

France are the third-highest World Cup points scorers of all time, with 1195 points. They are also the third-highest try scorers, and the second-highest penalty scorers.[36] France's Thierry Lacroix was the top points scorer at the 1995 tournament with 112 points,[37] and Jean-Baptiste Lafond was the joint top try scorer in 1991 with six tries (equal with David Campese).[38]

Overall [edit]

Top 25 Rankings as of 20 May 2013[39]
Rank Change* Team Points
1 Steady  New Zealand 90.08
2 Steady  South Africa 86.94
3 Steady  Australia 86.87
4 Steady  England 83.72
5 Steady  Wales 83.36
6 Steady  France 81.59
7 Steady  Samoa 78.71
8 Steady  Argentina 78.71
9 Steady  Ireland 78.05
10 Steady  Scotland 76.86
11 Steady  Tonga 76.10
12 Steady  Italy 76.06
13 Steady  Fiji 71.52
14 Steady  Canada 71.41
15 Steady  Japan 70.09
16 Steady  United States 68.32
17 Steady  Georgia 67.66
18 Steady  Romania 65.82
19 Steady  Russia 62.34
20 Steady  Spain 60.44
21 Steady  Uruguay 59.87
22 Steady  Portugal 58.82
23 Steady  Namibia 58.45
24 Increase2  South Korea 58.10
25 Decrease1  Belgium 57.52
*Change from the previous week
France's Historical Rankings
France IRB World Rankings.png
Source: IRB - Graph updated to 20 May 2013[39]

As of 17 March 2012, France have won 377 of their 682 test matches, a win record of 57.55%.[40][41] When the World Rankings were introduced by the International Rugby Board (IRB) in 2003 France were ranked fifth. During November 2003 France briefly occupied third place before falling to fourth by December that year. After falling to fifth during November 2004, France rose again to fourth by April 2005. During early 2006, France rose again, peaking at second in July that year. France were ranked number two in the world until falling to third in June 2007 after two successive defeats to the All Blacks. They then fell to fifth after losing to Argentina in the opening match of the 2007 World Cup.[42]

Their test match record against all nations, up until 3 February 2013, is as follows:[40][43]

Opponent Played Won Lost Drawn  % Won
 Argentina 47 34 12 1 72.34%
 Australia 42 17 23 2 40.48%
 British and Irish Lions 1 0 1 0 0%
 British Army 2 1 1 0 50%
 British Empire Forces 1 0 1 0 0%
 British Empire Services 1 1 0 0 100%
 Canada 8 7 1 0 87.5%
 Czech Republic 2 2 0 0 100%
 England 97 37 53 7 38.14%
 Fiji 8 8 0 0 100%
 Georgia 1 1 0 0 100%
 Germany 15 13 2 0 86.67%
 Ireland 92 56 29 7 60.86%
 Italy 34 31 3 0 91.18%
 Ivory Coast 1 1 0 0 100%
 Japan 3 3 0 0 100%
 Kiwis 1 0 1 0 0%
 Namibia 2 2 0 0 100%
 New Zealand 51 12 38 1 23.53%
 New Zealand Maori 1 0 1 0 0%
 Pacific Islanders 1 1 0 0 100%
 Romania 49 39 8 2 79.59%
 Samoa 2 2 0 0 100%
 Scotland 86 49 34 3 56.47%
 South Africa 38 11 21 6 28.95%
 Tonga 4 2 2 0 50%
 United States 7 6 1 0 85.71%
 Wales 93 44 46 3 47.31%
 Zimbabwe 1 1 0 0 100%
Total 690 380 278 32 55.07%

Players [edit]

Current Squad [edit]

On 14 May, Head Coach Philippe Saint-André named a 35-man squad for the 2013 mid-year rugby test series fixtures against New Zealand and Auckland Blues. [44]

Head Coach: Philippe Saint-André

  • Caps updated: 14 May 2013.


Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by the International Rugby Board.

Player Position Date of Birth (Age) Caps Club/province
Guilhem Guirado Hooker (1986-06-17) 17 June 1986 (age 26) 17 France Perpignan
Benjamin Kayser Hooker (1984-07-26) 26 July 1984 (age 28) 17 France Clermont
Dimitri Szarzewski Hooker (1983-01-26) 26 January 1983 (age 30) 69 France Racing Métro
Eddy Ben Arous Prop (1990-08-25) 25 August 1990 (age 22) 0 France Racing Métro
Vincent Debaty Prop (1981-10-02) 2 October 1981 (age 31) 16 France Clermont
Thomas Domingo Prop (1985-08-20) 20 August 1985 (age 27) 24 France Clermont
Luc Ducalcon Prop (1984-01-02) 2 January 1984 (age 29) 14 France Racing Métro
Daniel Kotze Prop (1987-03-28) 28 March 1987 (age 26) 0 France Clermont
Nicolas Mas Prop (1980-05-23) 23 May 1980 (age 33) 61 France Perpignan
Alexandre Flanquart Lock (1989-10-09) 9 October 1989 (age 23) 0 France Stade Français
Yoann Maestri Lock (1988-01-14) 14 January 1988 (age 25) 14 France Toulouse
Christophe Samson Lock (1984-03-01) 1 March 1984 (age 29) 4 France Castres
Sébastien Vahaamahina Lock (1991-10-21) 21 October 1991 (age 21) 3 France Perpignan
Antonie Claassen Flanker (1984-10-20) 20 October 1984 (age 28) 3 France Castres
Thierry Dusautoir (c) Flanker (1981-11-18) 18 November 1981 (age 31) 59 France Toulouse
Bernard Le Roux Flanker (1989-06-04) 4 June 1989 (age 23) 0 France Racing Métro
Yannick Nyanga Flanker (1983-12-19) 19 December 1983 (age 29) 31 France Toulouse
Fulgence Ouedraogo Flanker (1986-07-21) 21 July 1986 (age 26) 32 France Montpellier
Louis Picamoles Number 8 (1986-02-05) 5 February 1986 (age 27) 36 France Toulouse
Maxime Machenaud Scrum-half (1988-12-30) 30 December 1988 (age 24) 8 France Racing Métro
Morgan Parra Scrum-half (1988-11-15) 15 November 1988 (age 24) 51 France Clermont
Camille Lopez Fly-half (1989-04-03) 3 April 1989 (age 24) 0 France Bordeaux Bègles
Frédéric Michalak Fly-half (1982-10-16) 16 October 1982 (age 30) 64 France Toulon
Rémi Tales Fly-half (1984-05-02) 2 May 1984 (age 29) 0 France Castres
Mathieu Bastareaud Centre (1988-09-17) 17 September 1988 (age 24) 14 France Toulon
Gaël Fickou Centre (1994-03-27) 27 March 1994 (age 19) 1 France Toulouse
Wesley Fofana Centre (1988-01-20) 20 January 1988 (age 25) 15 France Clermont
Florian Fritz Centre (1984-01-17) 17 January 1984 (age 29) 29 France Toulouse
Maxime Mermoz Centre (1986-07-28) 28 July 1986 (age 26) 24 France Toulon
Maxime Médard Wing (1986-11-18) 18 November 1986 (age 26) 32 France Toulouse
Noa Nakaitaci Wing (1990-07-11) 11 July 1990 (age 22) 0 France Clermont
Adrien Planté Wing (1985-04-25) 25 April 1985 (age 28) 0 France Perpignan
Yoann Huget Wing (1987-06-02) 2 June 1987 (age 25) 17 France Toulouse
Brice Dulin Fullback (1990-04-13) 13 April 1990 (age 23) 5 France Castres
Alexis Palisson Fullback (1987-09-09) 9 September 1987 (age 25) 21 France Toulon

Notable players [edit]

Eight former French national team players have been inducted into either the International Rugby Hall of Fame or the IRB Hall of Fame. Four of them—Serge Blanco, André Boniface, Jean Prat and Philippe Sella—have been inducted to both Halls of Fame.[45][46][47] Jo Maso and Jean-Pierre Rives have been inducted into the International Hall only,[45] and Guy Boniface and Lucien Mias have been inducted into the IRB Hall only.[47]

Jean Prat (1923–2005) earned 51 caps playing for France from 1945 to 1955, and captained France to their first wins over Wales and the All Blacks.[48] He was also France's captain in 1954 when they won their first ever Five Nations (shared with Wales and England).[49] Prat was inducted to the International Hall of Fame in 2001[48] and the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011.[47]

Lucien Mias (born 1930), nicknamed Docteur Pack, was credited with inventing the concept of the advantage line in forward play. When inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011, he was called "one of the most influential captains of his country". He was most noted for captaining France to a Test series win over South Africa in 1958, the first such feat in the 20th century for a touring team.[47]

André Boniface (born 1934) also played in France's win over the All Blacks in 1954; it was only his second test for France. Boniface went on to play 48 tests for France before retiring in 1966.[50] He was inducted to the International Hall in 2005[50] and the IRB Hall in 2011.[47]

Guy Boniface (1937–1968) emerged on the international scene shortly after his older brother André, although the two did not play together in the same France side until 1961. According to the IRB, the Boniface brothers "redefined the concept of back play through their unique blend of skill and creativity." Guy won 35 caps for France before his death in an auto accident in 1968. He was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame alongside his brother in 2011.[47]

Jo Maso (born 1944) first played for France between 1966 and 1973; mainly at centre. He played in France's first ever Five Nations Grand Slam in 1968,[51] and that year toured New Zealand and Australia. He represented France in 25 tests and also played for the Barbarians and the World XV that beat England in 1971. Maso entered the International Hall in 2003.[52] He is now the manager of the French national team.

Jean-Pierre Rives (born 1952), a 1997 inductee of the International Hall, played 59 tests for France between 1975 and 1984; including 34 as captain. He played in Five Nations Grand Slams in 1977 and 1981, and captained France to their first ever win over the All Blacks in New Zealand.[53] Rives is now a sculptor, and designed the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy (Italian: Trofeo Garibaldi; French: Trophée Garibaldi), which is competed for every year by France and Italy in the 6 Nations championship.[54]

Serge Blanco (born 1958) played in 93 tests for France between 1980 and 1991. Playing at fullback Blanco won Five Nations Grand Slams with France in 1981 and 1987, and scored the match-winning try in France's semi-final against Australia in the 1987 World Cup.[55] He is the current president of his longtime club, Biarritz Olympique, and a past president of France's national professional league, Ligue Nationale de Rugby. Blanco was inducted to the International Hall in 1997[55] and the IRB Hall in 2011.[47]

Centre Philippe Sella (born 1962), who was also in the 1987 team, played 111 times for France between 1982 and 1995, setting an appearances record that stood until Fabien Pelous broke it during the 2007 Rugby World Cup. In 1986, he achieved the rare feat of scoring a try in each of France's Five Nations matches.[56][57] Sella entered the International Hall in 1999[56] and the IRB Hall in 2005.[46]

Individual all-time records [edit]

The record for points scored for France is 380 held by Christophe Lamaison.[58] Lamaison also holds the record for conversions with 60.[58] The record for penalties scored is 89 by Thierry Lacroix, and the drop goal record of 15 is held by Jean-Patrick Lescarboura.[58] The record for French appearances is held by Fabien Pelous with 118.[58] The record for tries scored for France is with 38 held by Serge Blanco.[58]

Most caps [edit]

# Player Career Span Caps Tries Pts
1. Fabien Pelous 1995-2007 118 8 40
2. Philippe Sella 1982-1995 111 30 125
3. Raphaël Ibañez 1996-2007 98 8 40
4. Serge Blanco 1980-1991 93 38 233
5. Olivier Magne 1997-2007 89 14 70
6. Damien Traille 2001-2011 86 14 128
7. Sylvain Marconnet 1998-2011 84 3 15
8. Imanol Harinordoquy 2002-2012 82 13 65
9. Abdel Benazzi 1990-2001 78 9 45
10. Aurélien Rougerie 2001-2012 76 23 115

Last updated: France vs Samoa, 24 November 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only. [59]

Most tries [edit]

# Player Career Span Tries Caps Ave.
1. Serge Blanco 1980-1991 38 93 0.41
2. Vincent Clerc 2002- 34 64 0.53
3. Philippe Saint-André 1990-1997 32 69 0.46
4. Philippe Sella 1982-1995 30 111 0.27
5. Philippe Bernat-Salles 1992-2001 26 41 0.63
Émile Ntamack 1994-2000 26 46 0.57
7. Christophe Dominici 1998-2007 25 67 0.37
8. Christian Darrouy 1957-1967 23 40 0.58
Aurélien Rougerie 2001-2012 23 76 0.30
10. Yannick Jauzion 2001-2011 20 73 0.27
Patrice Lagisquet 1983-1991 20 46 0.43

Last updated: Argentina vs France, 23 June 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only. [60]

Most points [edit]

# Player Career Span Pts Caps Tries Con. Pen. DG Ave.
1. Christophe Lamaison 1996-2001 380 37 2 59 78 6 10.27
2. Dimitri Yachvili 2002- 373 61 2 51 85 2 6.11
3. Thierry Lacroix 1989-1997 367 43 6 32 89 2 8.53
4. Didier Camberabero 1982-1993 354 36 12 48 59 11 9.83
5. Frédéric Michalak 2001- 329 59 10 48 53 8 5.57
6. Morgan Parra 2008- 280 46 2 36 65 1 6.08
7. Gérald Merceron 1999-2003 267 32 3 36 57 3 8.34
8. Jean-Pierre Romeu 1972-1977 265 34 4 27 56 9 7.79
9. Thomas Castaignède 1995-2007 252 54 18 42 21 5 4.67
10. Serge Blanco 1980-1991 233 93 38 6 21 2 2.51

Most points in a match [edit]

# Player Position Pts Tries Con. Pen. DG Result Opposition Date
1. Didier Camberabero Full Back 30 3 9 0 0 70-12  Zimbabwe 02/06/1987
2. Christophe Lamaison Fly-half 28 1 4 3 2 43-31  New Zealand 31/10/1999
Frédéric Michalak Fly-half 28 1 4 4 1 51-9  Scotland 25/10/2003
4. Guy Camberabero Fly-half 27 0 9 2 1 60-13  Italy 26/03/1967
Christophe Lamaison Fly-half 27 0 3 5 2 42-33  New Zealand 18/11/2000
Gérald Merceron Fly-half 27 1 2 6 0 32-23  South Africa 16/06/2001
Jean-Baptiste Élissalde Scrum-half 27 1 11 0 0 87-10  Namibia 16/09/2007
8. Thierry Lacroix Centre 26 0 1 8 0 36-12  Ireland 10/06/1995
Frédéric Michalak Fly-half 26 0 4 6 0 61-18  Fiji 11/10/2003
10. Jean-Pierre Romeu Fly-half 25 1 3 5 0 33-14  United States 12/06/1976
Philippe Bérot Wing 25 1 6 3 0 49-3  Romania 11/11/1987
Thierry Lacroix Centre 25 2 3 3 0 38-10  Tonga 26/05/1995

Last updated: Argentina vs France, 23 June 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only. [61]

Most tries in a match [edit]

Tries Player Position Result Opposition Date
4 Adolphe Jaureguy Wing 61-3  Romania 04/05/1924
Maurice Celhay Wing 43-5  Italy 17/10/1937

Last updated: Argentina vs France, 23 June 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only. [62]

Most matches as captain [edit]

# Player Span Caps Total caps Win %
1. Fabien Pelous 1997-2006 42 118 64.28%
2. Raphaël Ibañez 1998-2007 41 98 63.41%
3. Jean-Pierre Rives 1978-1984 34 59 55.88%
Philippe Saint-André 1994-1997 34 69 73.53%
5. Thierry Dusautoir 2009- 31 54 54.84%
6. Daniel Dubroca 1986-1988 11 33 72.00%
Fabien Galthié 1999-2003 11 64 64.00%
8. Guy Basquet 1948-1952 11 33 50.00%
9. Michel Crauste 1961-1966 11 63 68.18%
10. Jacques Fouroux 1974-1977 11 27 66.67%

Last updated: Argentina vs France, 23 June 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only. [63]

Youngest players [edit]

# Player Age DOB Debut Opposition
1. Claude Dourthe 18 years 7 days 20/11/1948 27/11/1966  Romania
2. René Lasserre 18 years 84 days 09/10/1895 01/01/1914  Ireland
3. Pierre Dizabo 18 years 99 days 04/10/1929 11/01/1948  Australia
4. Henri Martin 18 years 129 days 29/08/1888 05/01/1907  England
5. Albert Domec 18 years 139 days 07/10/1910 23/02/1929  Wales
6. Lucien Augras-Fabre 18 years 141 days 13/08/1912 01/01/1931  Ireland
7. Christopher Tolofua 18 years 168 days 31/12/1993 16/06/2012  Argentina
8. Max Rousie 18 years 190 days 18/07/1912 24/01/1931  Scotland
9. Marcel Legrain 18 years 279 days 14/06/1890 20/03/1909  Ireland
10. Jacques Meynard 18 years 335 days 28/09/1935 29/08/1954  Argentina

Last updated: Argentina vs France, 23 June 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only. [64]

Oldest players [edit]

# Player Age DOB Last Match Opposition
1. Alfred Roques 37 years 329 days 17/02/1925 12/01/1963  Scotland
2. Francis Haget 37 years 249 days 01/10/1949 07/06/1987  Fiji
3. Jean-Pierre Garuet-Lempirou 36 years 233 days 15/06/1953 03/02/1990  England
4. Marc Cecillon 36 years 138 days 30/01/1959 17/06/1995  South Africa
5. Pascal Ondarts 35 years 201 days 01/04/1956 19/10/1991  England
6. Lionel Nallet 35 years 179 days 14/09/1976 11/03/2012  England
7. Noël Baudry 35 years 156 days 01/04/1914 04/09/1949  Argentina
8. Christophe Dominici 35 years 152 days 20/05/1972 19/10/2007  Argentina
9. Olivier Sourgens 35 years 143 days 17/01/1972 09/06/2007  New Zealand
10. Sylvain Marconnet 35 years 127 days 08/04/1976 13/08/2011  Ireland

Last updated: Argentina vs France, 23 June 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only. [65]

Training [edit]

Coaches [edit]

Historically the role of French rugby coach (or trainer) has varied considerably. Due to the status of rugby union as an amateur sport for most of its history, the job of deciding tactics and running team trainings has often been that of the captain or senior players. Therefore a comprehensive list of national coaches is impossible.

Although coached by Jean Desclaux between 1973 and 1980, the French team's main influence during the late 1970 was captain Jacques Fouroux. Fouroux played scrum-half and captained France to their 1977 Five Nations Grand Slam, during which France played a very forward-oriented style of rugby.[66] Although the style of Fouroux's Gang was successful, it was criticised because it contrasted with the traditional open attacking style of French rugby.[66] Fouroux was given the nickname "the little Corporal" — the same as Napoleon Bonaparte.[67] Fouroux was named as Desclaux's successor in 1981 at the age of just 33. He continued to promote a forward-oriented style of play, and France won six Five Nations titles — including two Grand Slams — while he was coach. After nearly ten years in the role he resigned in 1990 after a defeat to Romania.[68]

Fouroux was succeeded by Daniel Dubroca, who coached the team to the 1991 Rugby World Cup.[69] Dubroca's tenure as coach did not last long, however, as he resigned after violently confronting referee David Bishop following France's World Cup quarter-final against England.[69][70] Dubroca was replaced by Pierre Berbizier, who coached the team until after the 1995 Rugby World Cup.[71] Berbizier's replacement, Jean-Claude Skrela, coached France to Five Nations Grand Slams in 1997 and 1998 before they came last in the tournament in 1999.[72] He officially resigned following France's loss to Australia in the 1999 Rugby World Cup final. Bernard Laporte was appointed as Skrela's successor in November.[73] Laporte guided France through the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups before stepping down to become Secretary of State for Sport. After Philippe Saint-André turned down the offer to replace Laporte, French Rugby Federation president Bernard Lapasset appointed Marc Lièvremont to guide France to the 2011 World Cup.[74] Lièvremont's tenure as coach was marked by inconsistent and puzzling squad selection choices, and player discontent.[75] There were some bright moments, notably wins against New Zealand in Dunedin and South Africa in Toulouse, and the 2010 Six Nations Grand Slam.[75] But there was also a 59-16 loss to Australia in Paris, a 22-21 loss to Italy in the 2011 Six Nations, and a 19-14 loss to Tonga during the 2011 World Cup.[75] In August 2011, before the World Cup, it was announced that Philippe Saint-André would replace Lièvremont and guide France to the 2015 World Cup.[76] This came as no surprise to Lièvremont, as he had announced as early as May 2010 that he would not continue as the coach of France after the World Cup.[76]

Name Tenure
Jean Prat 1964–1968
Fernand Cazenave 1968–1973
Jean Desclaux 1973–1980
Jacques Fouroux 1981–1990
Daniel Dubroca 1990–1991
Pierre Berbizier 1991–1995
Jean-Claude Skrela 1995–1999
Bernard Laporte 1999–2007
Marc Lièvremont 2007–2011
Philippe Saint-André 2011–

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Vulliamy, Ed (2007-09-09). "Rugby union: Defeated France has the blues | World news | The Observer". London: Guardian. Retrieved 2009-03-14. 
  2. ^ British Daily Graphic, Monday, March 3, 1890
  3. ^ a b c "Rugby at the 1924 Olympics". Rugby Football History. Retrieved 2007-03-04. 
  4. ^ "8th All Black Test : 88th All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-03-30. 
  5. ^ "South Africa vs France > Games Played". rugbydata.com. Retrieved 2007-05-17. 
  6. ^ "2/3/4/5/6 Nations Winners". Rugby World. Retrieved 2007-03-04. 
  7. ^ a b c d "Six Nations history". BBC Sport. 28 January 2002. Retrieved 2007-04-02. 
  8. ^ "France > Most Wins in a row". rugbydata.com. Retrieved 2007-05-17. 
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Six Nations roll of honour". BBC Sport. 2007-12-18. Retrieved 2007-04-02. 
  10. ^ Seeckts, Richard. "A frugal French victory". espnscrum.com. Retrieved 25 February 2013. 
  11. ^ "1977 in France". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-04-02. 
  12. ^ "184th All Black Test : 753rd All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-04-02. 
  13. ^ "1994 France in New Zealand". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-04-02. 
  14. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/rugby-world-cup/8827806/Wales-8-France-9-match-report.html The Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
  15. ^ (French) "2 janvier 1911 : la naissance d'une Nation" (in French). Rugby-nomades.qc.ca. Retrieved 2007-03-04. 
  16. ^ "Le coq dans le sport" (PDF) (in French). Crdp.ac-bordeaux.fr. Retrieved 2007-03-04. 
  17. ^ "Le coq sportif" (PDF) (in French). Crdp.ac-bordeaux.fr. Retrieved 2007-03-04. 
  18. ^ "Ecusson en forme de coq, devenu emblème national" (in French). Musee du Sport. Retrieved 2007-03-04. 
  19. ^ Owen, James (2006-03-02). "Bird Flu Strikes at French Identity, Cuisine". nationalgeographic.com. Retrieved 2007-06-25. 
  20. ^ "France into adidas for International Rugby from 2012". RugbyShirts.net. 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2012-07-09. 
  21. ^ Rob Lewis (2007). "Crowd Control: Transforming Stadium Spectatorship in Interwar France". Proceedings of the Western Society for French History 35: 219–232. 
  22. ^ "Stade de France". rbs6nations.com. Retrieved 2007-04-02. 
  23. ^ An archive of international results can be found at rugbydata.com
  24. ^ "French rugby federation chooses new 82,000-seater stadium south of Paris". Telegraph. 29 June 2012. 
  25. ^ "1991 Rugby World Cup Results". worldcupweb.com. Retrieved 2007-09-16. 
  26. ^ a b "Destination France". rugbyworldcup.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  27. ^ a b "Six Nations roll of honour". bbc.co.uk. 2004-01-29. Retrieved 2007-05-03. 
  28. ^ a b c d "1987: France 30-24 Australia". BBC Sport. 24 September 2003. Retrieved 8 February 2012. 
  29. ^ "1987: Kiwis see off France in final". BBC Sport. 24 September 2003. Retrieved 8 February 2012. 
  30. ^ "231st All Black Test : 871st All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-05-03. 
  31. ^ a b c Gallagher, Brendan (10 October 2007). "When Mick Skinner took the wind out of France". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 February 2012. 
  32. ^ "335th All Black Test : 1053rd All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-05-03. 
  33. ^ "381st All Black Test : 1101st All Black Game". allblacks.com. Retrieved 2007-05-03. 
  34. ^ a b "Harinordoquy admits to French uprising". ESPN Scrum. 2011-10-31. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  35. ^ "Harinordoquy hits back at Lièvremont". ESPN Scrum. 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-10-31. 
  36. ^ "Team Statistics". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  37. ^ "Player Statistics". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  38. ^ "Player Statistics". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  39. ^ a b "World Rankings". International Rugby Board. Retrieved 20 May 2013. 
  40. ^ a b "International Teams > France > Teams Played". rugbydata.com. 2011-07-01. Retrieved 2011-07-01. 
  41. ^ Statistics exclude the match played against New Zealand Māori as this is not a full international side.
  42. ^ Ranking archives can be found at the IRB website; www.irb.com
  43. ^ Overall record excludes France's match against the New Zealand Māori
  44. ^ France squad for 2013 New Zealand 3-test tour
  45. ^ a b Gallagher, Brendan (2005-11-17). "Joining the legends an added bonus for Wood". London: telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  46. ^ a b "IRB Hall of Fame Welcomes Five Inductees" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2008-11-23. 
  47. ^ a b c d e f g "Five French legends into IRB Hall of Fame" (Press release). International Rugby Board. 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2011-05-18. 
  48. ^ a b "Jean Prat". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  49. ^ "Heroes of French rugby". London: The Observer. 2006-02-05. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  50. ^ a b "André Boniface". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  51. ^ "Leaping for joy at Grand Slam glory". 
  52. ^ "Jo Maso". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  53. ^ "Jean-Pierre Rives". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  54. ^ "Trophée Garibaldi" (in French). 2 February 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2011. 
  55. ^ a b "Serge Blanco". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  56. ^ a b "Philippe Sella". rugbyhalloffame.com. Retrieved 2007-06-29. 
  57. ^ "Philippe Sella – Simply the best". 
  58. ^ a b c d e "Records" (in French). ffr.fr. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
  59. ^ "France: Most appearances". Retrieved 12 January 2013. 
  60. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_tries.html?id=9;type=team
  61. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_points_match.html?id=9;type=team
  62. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_tries_match.html?id=9;type=team
  63. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_matches_captain.html?id=9;type=team
  64. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/youngest_appearance.html?id=9;type=team
  65. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/oldest_appearance.html?id=9;type=team
  66. ^ a b Dine (2001), pg 155.
  67. ^ "Jacques Fouroux". London: telegraph.co.uk. 2005-12-20. Retrieved 2007-05-06. 
  68. ^ Dine (2001), pg 160.
  69. ^ a b Brine (2001), pg 172–173.
  70. ^ Patel, Tara (1992-03-19). "French, in Anglo-Saxon Game, Can No Longer Rest on Latin Laurels". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 2006-11-24. Retrieved 2007-05-06. 
  71. ^ "Berbizier launches Laporte attack". bbc.co.uk. 2007-01-29. Retrieved 2007-05-06. 
  72. ^ "Sport: Rugby Union Skrela steps down as French coach". bbc.co.uk. 1999-11-16. Retrieved 2007-05-06. 
  73. ^ "Laporte gets France job". bbc.co.uk. 1999-11-22. Retrieved 2007-05-06. 
  74. ^ "Lievremont appointed France coach". bbc.co.uk. 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2007-10-25. 
  75. ^ a b c "Rugby World Cup final: Marc Lièvremont the loneliest musketeer". guardian.co.uk. 21 October 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2012. 
  76. ^ a b "Philippe Saint-Andre to replace Marc Lievremont as France boss". BBC Sport. 25 August 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2012. 

Bibliography [edit]

  • Dine, Philip (2001). French Rugby Football—Cultural History. Berg. ISBN 1-85973-327-1. 

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