France national rugby Team for Rugby World Cup 2011
France national rugby union
The France national rugby union team represents France in the 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. France came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, and won 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 twice, losing to the All Blacks in 1987 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.
| France national rugby union | |
| 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) | Marc Lièvremont |
| Captain(s) | Thierry Dusautoir |
| Most caps | Fabien Pelous (118) |
| Top scorer | Christophe Lamaison (380) |
| Most tries | Serge Blanco (38) |
| Appearances | 6 (First in 1987) |
| Best result | Runners up, 1987, 1999 |
France Rugby Jersey
France Rugby Current Team Squad RWC 2011 World Cup
Marc Lièvremont announced a provisional 33-man France squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Head Coach: Marc Lièvremont
Hooker: Guilhem Guirado, William Servat, Dimitri Szarzewski
Prop: Fabien Barcella, Thomas Domingo, Luc Ducalcon, Sylvain Marconnet, Nicolas Mas, Jean-Baptiste Poux
Lock: Romain Millo-Chluski, Lionel Nallet, Pascal Papé, Julien Pierre
Flanker: Julien Bonnaire, Thierry Dusautoir (c), Imanol Harinordoquy, Fulgence Ouedraogo
Number 8: Raphaël Lakafia, Louis Picamoles
Scrum-half: Morgan Parra, Dimitri Yachvili
Fly-half: David Skrela, François Trinh-Duc
Centre: Fabrice Estebanez, David Marty, Maxime Mermoz, Aurélien Rougerie
Wing: Vincent Clerc, Yoann Huget, Maxime Médard, Alexis Palisson
Fullback: Cédric Heymans, Damien Traille
