Rugby was first introduced to France back in 1872 and France was represented at the 1900 Olympics. However, France’s first official international test match didn’t take place until 1906, when France played against New Zealand in Paris.
The French squad competed in the Olympic Games of 1920 and 1924, where they narrowly missed out on gold medals against the United States. But it was in the Five Nations of the 1950s and 60s where France really showed their class on the world stage. Two decades later, they were the runners-up in the first Rugby World Cup.
Since then, Les Bleus have built a reputation as one of the world’s most talented and fierce rugby teams. After being named as the World Rugby Team of the Year in 2002, France have bounced between first and 10th place in the World Rugby Rankings.
France Rugby Players
With such a prolific history in terms of achievement, it’s no surprise that the France national rugby union team has seen its fair share of quality players. In fact, several of the team’s former players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. This includes fullback Serge Blanco, centre Philippe Sella and lock Fabien Pelous.
The current squad also features a variety of popular players, the majority of who compete in France at domestic level. This includes scrum-half Antoine Dupont, fullback Thomas Ramos and centre Gaël Fickou.