France

The France national rugby union team competes 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. Ten former French players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Years 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 and will once again host the tournament in 2023.

GAMES

MATCH NO	DATE	MATCH	KICK-OFFS	VENUE
3	Saturday, Sept. 21	France vs. Argentina	16:15	Tokyo Stadium
19	Wednesday, Oct. 2	France vs. United States	16:45	Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium
28	Sunday, Oct.6	France vs. Tonga	16:45	Kumamoto Stadium
35	Saturday, Oct. 12	England vs. France	17:15	International Stadium Yokohama