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France's Maxime Medard is tackled by New Zealand's Cory James - Source: NZPA Images
France (Pool A)
Best World Cup Performance: Finalists (1987, 1999)
Last World Cup: Semi-Finalist
Current IRB Ranking: 4
TAB Odds: $20.00
World Cup Pedigree
Plenty but despite making two World Cup finals (1987 and
1999) and three semi-finals (1995, 2003 and 2007), France have
never gone on to win the big prize. The French are most (in) famous
for ending the hopes and dreams of the All Blacks: having twice
dispatched the perennial favourites - once in the 1999
semi-finals and then in the 2007 quarter-finals. Both of those
unlikely wins rank among the biggest upsets in World Cup
history.
Road to the World Cup
Qualified on virtue of being a top 12 nation.
Recent Form
France remains the biggest enigma in world rugby:
Brilliant one minute, erratic the next, the only thing predictable
about the French is indeed their unpredictability.
And it has to be said that their recent form has done little to dispel this legend. In last year's November Tests they suffered a humiliating, and record breaking, 59-16 defeat to the Wallabies. In this year's Six Nations they opened with narrow wins over Scotland and Ireland before falling to England 17-9.
Then, inexplicably, they lost to Italy for the very first time in their history. The two-point defeat prompted coach Mark Lievremont to accuse his players of betrayal to the nation in one of the more eye-catching quotes of the sporting year. His words at least did the trick for the final game of their Six Nations campaign - they dealt to Wales 28-9.
Star Players
Fulgence Ouedraogo - The outstanding openside flanker would rank among the world's leading number sevens. With genuine pace and combative strength at the breakdown, the Senegalese tearaway was influential in leading Montpellier to the Top 14 playoffs this season. Since his debut for France in 2007, the 24 year-old has been capped 22 times and is expected to be a regular fixture in Les Bleus for many years to come.
Maxime Medard - The flying fullback/winger announced himself to the world with a match-winning intercept try against the All Blacks in Dunedin in 2009. Since then Medard has won two Heineken Cups and one Top 14 championship with French powerhouse Toulouse. Lievremont's constant tinkering of starting line-ups has meant Medard has been regularly in and out of the national side but assistant national team coach Emile Ntamack has praised him as an "incredible talent".
Something you probably didn't know
French rugby union only took off because of the German
army's invasion of France in May 1940. Some of the sport's senior
administrators took advantage of their close relationship with the
pro-Nazi, collaborationist Vichy regime to have rugby league
outlawed as a "corrupter" of French youth." ( The Independent).
A Kiwi Connection
The French don't have so much a New Zealand connection
but an All Blacks obsession. More All Blacks jerseys are reportedly
sold in France than any other nation, including New Zealand.
Chances of winning the World Cup
France are one of five nations - New Zealand, Australia,
South Africa and England - with a genuine chance to win the Webb
Ellis Cup. Les Bleus have the forward power and unpredictability in
the backs to beat any team on their day. And, as the All Blacks
will attest to, the French team grow an unbridled passion come
World Cup time.
However, on the flip side, Lievremont's game of musical chairs
has clearly sapped the cohesion from his squad. In the past
three years he has capped 88 players or - in other words -
played six starting XVs. A master plan or plain dumb? No one knows
- probably not even Lievremont himself.
France World Cup Squad
Forwards
Fabien Barcella, Julien Bonnaire, Luc Ducalcon, Thierry
Dusautoir (captain), Imanol Harinordoquy, Guilhem Guirado, Nicolas
Mas, Romain Millo-Chluski, Raphael Lakafia, Lionel Nallet, Fulgence
Ouedraogo, Pascal Pape, Louis Picamoles, Julien Pierre,
Jean-Baptiste Poux, William Servat, Dimitri Szarzewski.
Backs:
Vincent Clerc, Patrice Estebanez, Cedric Heymans, David
Marty, Maxime Medard, Maxime Mermoz, Alexis Palisson, Morgan Parra,
Aurelien Rougerie, David Skrela, Damien Traille, Francois
Trinh-Duc, Dimitri Yachvili.
France's World Cup History
1987 World Cup New Zealand/Australia
23 May 1987: France drew with Scotland 20-20 in
Christchurch (Pool 4)
28 May 1987: France beat Romania 55-12 in Wellington (Pool 4)
02 Jun 1987: France beat Zimbabwe 70-12 in Auckland (Pool 4)
07 Jun 1987: France beat Fiji 31-16 in Auckland
(Quarter-Final)
13 Jun 1987: France beat Australia 30-24 in Sydney
(Semi-Final)
20 Jun 1987: New Zealand beat France 29-9 in Auckland (Final)
1991 World Cup UK/Ireland/France
O4 Oct 1991: France beat Romania 30-3 in Beziers (Pool
4)
08 Oct 1991: France beat Fiji 33-9 in Grenoble (Pool 4)
13 Oct 1991: France beat Canada 19-13 in Agen (Pool 4)
19 Oct 1991: England beat France 19-10 in Paris (Quarter-Final)
1995 World Cup South Africa
26 May 1995: France beat Tonga 38-10 in Pretoria (Pool
D)
30 May 1995: France beat Cote D'Ivoire in Rustenburg (Pool D)
03 Jun 1995: France beat Scotland 22-19 in Pretoria (Pool D)
10 Jun 1995: France beat Ireland 36-12 in Durban
(Quarter-Final)
17 Jun 1995: South Africa beat France 19-15 in Durban
(Semi-Final)
22 June 1995: France beat England 19-9 in Pretoria (3rd Place
Play-Off)
1999 World Cup UK/Ireland/France
02 Oct 1999: France beat Canada 33-20 in Beziers (Pool
C)
08 Oct 1999: France Namibia 47-13 in Bordeaux (Pool C)
16 Oct 1999: France beat Fiji 28-19 in Toulouse (Pool C)
24 Oct 1999: France beat Argentina 47-26 in Dublin
(Quarter-Final)
31 Oct 1999: France beat New Zealand 43-31 in London
(Semi-Final)
06 Nov 1999: Australia beat France 35-12 in Cardiff (Final)
2003 World Cup Australia
11 Oct 2003: France beat Fiji 61-18 in Brisbane (Pool
B)
18 Oct 2003: France beat Japan 51-29 in Townsville (Pool B)
25 Oct 2003: France beat Scotland 51-9 in Sydney (Pool B)
1 Oct 2003: France beat USA 41-14 in Wollongong (Pool B)
09 Nov 2003: France beat Ireland 43-21 in Melbourne
(Quarter-Final)
16 Nov 2003: England beat France 24-7 in Sydney (Semi-Final)
20 Nov 2003: New Zealand beat France 40-13 in Sydney (3rd Place
Play-Off)
2007 World Cup France/UK
07 Sep 2007: Argentina beat France 17-12 in Paris
(Pool D)
16 Sep 2007: France Namibia 87-10 in Toulouse (Pool D)
21 Sep 2007: France beat Ireland 25-3 in St Denis (Pool D)
30 Sep 2007: France beat Georgia 64-7 in Marseille (Pool D)
06 Oct 2007: France beat New Zealand 20-18 in Cardiff
(Quarter-Final)
13 Oct 2007: England beat France 14-9 in Paris (Semi-Final)
19 Oct 2007: Argentina beat France 34-10 in Paris (3rd Place
Play-Off)
Most Appearances: Raphaël Ibanez - 18
matches
Highest Point Scorer: Thierry Lacroix (9 matches -
124 points (4 tries, 7 conversions, 30 penalties)
Highest Try Scorer: Christophe Dominici (15
matches - 8 tries)
