The France national rugby team have competed in every

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

since the tournament began in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

. They are one of five teams who have played in the final match, having done so three times (1987,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

and 2011), losing and finishing second in the tournament each time. They have made it to at least the quarter-finals at every tournament. France hosted the 2007 tournament, and co-hosted the 1991 competition with

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. They also hosted some matches of the 1999 event, where the main host was Wales. France will host again in

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

By position

By matches

1987

;Pool ---- ---- ---- ;Knock-out stage ;Quarter-final ---- ;Semi-final ---- ;Final ----

1991

;Pool ---- ---- ---- ;Knock-out stages ;Quarter-final ----

1995

;Pool ---- ---- ;Knock-out stages ;Quarter-final ---- ;Semi-final ---- ;Third-place play-off ----

1999

;Pool ---- ---- ---- ;Knock-out stage ;Quarter-final ---- ;Semi-final ---- ;Final ----

2003

;Pool ---- ---- ---- ---- ;Knock-out stages ;Quarter-final ---- ;Semi-final ---- ;Third-place play-off ----

2007

;Pool ---- ---- ---- ;Knock-out stages ;Quarter-final ---- ;Semi-final ---- ;Bronze final ----

2011

;Pool ---- ---- ---- ---- ;Knock-out stages ;Quarter-final ---- ;Semi-final ---- ;Final ----

2015

Pool Stage ---- Quarter-final ----

2019

---- ---- ---- Notes: *As a result of inclement weather caused by

Typhoon Hagibis Typhoon Hagibis, known in Japan as Typhoon No.19 or , was a large and costly tropical cyclone that caused widespread destruction in Japan. The thirty-eighth depression, ninth typhoon, and third super typhoon of the 2019 Pacific typhoon season, ...

this match was cancelled and awarded as a 0–0 draw. ---- Quarter-final

Hosting

The Rugby World Cup is held every four years, and tends to alternate between the northern and southern hemispheres. Every northern hemisphere tournament so far has been held in Europe, and in general, France usually hosts some games when it is held there.

1991 Rugby World Cup

England was main host in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, but other countries hosted some matches. France hosted Pool D, and two of the quarter-finals. The following French stadiums were used (quarter final locations emboldened).

1999 Rugby World Cup

Wales was main host in

. Pool C games were hosted in France. The following French stadiums were used (quarter-final locations in bold).

2007 Rugby World Cup

France was main host for the 2007 RWC. Some games were also held in Scotland and Wales. It was announced in April 2003 that France had won the right to host the tournament. The tournament was moved to the proposed September–October dates with the tournament structure remaining as it was. It was also announced that ten French cities would be hosting games, with the final at the Stade de France. French Prime Minister

Jean-Pierre Raffarin Jean-Pierre Raffarin (; born 3 August 1948) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 6 May 2002 to 31 May 2005. He resigned after France's rejection of the referendum on the European Union draft constitution. Howeve ...

said that "this decision illustrates the qualities of our country and its capacity to host major sporting events...This World Cup will be the opportunity to showcase the regions of France where the wonderful sport of rugby is deeply rooted". French Sports Minister Jean-François Lamour said that "The organisation of this World Cup will shine over all of France because ten French towns have the privilege of organising matches and to be in the world's spotlight." French cities to host games are Bordeaux, Lens, Lyon, Marseilles, Montpellier, Nantes, St. Etienne, Toulouse and Paris, and it was also announced that the final would be at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. There was a substantial increase in the overall capacity of stadiums compared to the

2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...

, as the smallest venue at the 2007 tournament will be 33,900. France won the right to host the event in 2003. Three matches were played at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, two Pool B games that featured Wales and as well as a quarter-final. Two Pool C matches were held at Edinburgh's

Murrayfield Murrayfield is an affluent area to the west of Edinburgh city centre in Scotland. It is to the east of Corstorphine and north of Balgreen and Roseburn. The A8 road runs east–west through the south of the area. Murrayfield is often con ...

. Ireland were also offered to host matches at

Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium ( ga, Bóthar Lansdún, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for ...

in Dublin, but had to decline the offer as construction work was scheduled to begin on the stadium. The semifinals and final were held at Stade de France, Saint-Denis. The following stadiums were used (finals locations emboldened).

2023 Rugby World Cup

France will host the Rugby World Cup outright for the second time in

, however, hosting for the fourth time in total.

Portrayal on screen

France can be seen playing South Africa in the feature film '' Invictus'' based on the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...

References

Bibliography

* Davies, Gerald (2004) ''The History of the Rugby World Cup'' (Sanctuary Publishing Ltd, () * Farr-Jones, Nick, (2003). ''Story of the Rugby World Cup'', Australian Post Corporation, () {{DEFAULTSORT:France At The Rugby World Cup France national rugby union team Rugby World Cup by nation