Culture
Play Style
Rugby first arrived in France in the late 19th Century. British students, and salesmen brought the game from across the channel in England. The game caught on quickly, spreading from village to village. Rich industrialists and factory owners out in the French countryside bought teams making the sport very popular in France's provinces particularly in the south, although the majority of the French middle class in Paris still prefer soccer. The rivalry between provinces was evident from the outset, in the late 1920's the French team of Quillan poached players from rivals Perpignan by offering the players jobs at the owners Factory. In the match between the two later that year the Quillan hooker was kicked to death. This brutality shocked the British home nations who decided to not play against France, as a result the French rugby union spread the game around Europe in search of opposition, their biggest success coming in the form of Romania, and Germany. When the First World War began sports in most countries were shunted, because of lack of players, and political reasons. However in France the game of rugby was stimulated. Due to the conscription policies at the time British, American, and ANZAC rugby players all signed up for military service, and were shipped to France were they would often play sport in order to increase moral, and take their minds of the brutal war on the western front. At the time these were the best rugby nations in the world, the French players learnt a lot from playing alongside them, and the game was enhanced when the war was over.
The French rugby team are renowned in the rugby team for their flair in the game. French rugby is an entertaining spectacle, which has always served for the purpose of entertainment separating it from rugby anywhere else in the world. It is said that on a good day Les Bleus are capable of beating anybody, but on a bad day they are capable of losing to anybody. There is no better example of this than the RWC 2011 in which France lost to lower ranked Tonga in the pools, but went on to get pipped by a single point in the final losing 8-7 to the All Blacks. The stereotype has unfortunately stayed with Les Bleus to this day in which case it has almost become a psychological mind set. The French enjoy running rugby, but are traditional like many other European rugby teams opting for a high risk, high reward strategy that does not always pay off.
Fast Facts:
Players: 359,022
RWC Results: Runners up 1987, 1999, 2011, Third 1995, Fourth 2003, 2007 Quarters 1991
Best Result 2014: Vs. England 26-24
IRB World Ranking: 7th with 80.01 points
Coach: Phillipe Saint-Andre Captain: Thierry Dusautoir.
Martin Dobey