History of rugby union matches between France and Wales

Scene of the first Wales v France match ever, played in Cardiff on March 2, 1908

France and Wales have played each other at rugby union since 1908. A total of 104 matches have been played, with Wales winning 51 times, France 50 times and the remaining three finishing as draws.

The early years of the fixture were dominated by Wales, who won 18 of the first 19 matches before France were expelled from the Five Nations Championship after the 1931 tournament. Since France rejoined the competition in 1947, they have won 49 of the 85 matches played, including a 12-match winning streak between 1983 and 1993. The teams have met twice in the Rugby World Cup, firstly in the semi-finals of the 2011 tournament, which France won 9–8, then in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which Wales won 20–19.[1][2]

Summary

Note: Summary below reflects test results by both teams.

Overview

Details Played Won by
France 		Won by
Wales 		Drawn France points Wales points
In France 49 28 20 1 787 681
In Wales 52 20 30 2 753 913
Neutral venue 3 2 1 0 79 28
Overall 104 50 51 3 1,619 1,622

Records

Note: Date shown in brackets indicates when the record was or last set.

Record France Wales
Longest winning streak 12 (19 March 1983 – 19 February 1994) 15 (2 March 1908 – 9 April 1928)
Largest points for
Home 41 (18 March 2023) 49 (1 January 1910)
Away 51 (5 April 1998) 47 (23 February 1909)
Largest winning margin
Home 33 (2 March 1991) 35 (1 January 1910)
Away 51 (5 April 1998) 42 (23 February 1909)

Breakdown

Early history: Welsh domination

Early in the history of the France–Wales match-up, Wales dominated the encounters with big victories from the 1908 Home Nations Internationals to the 1911 Five Nations Championship. Between 1910 and 1929, France finished wooden spooners six times in the competition, more than any other team, going back-to-back on two occasions (seasons 1912–1913 and 1925–1926). During this period France only managed to beat Wales once from a total of seventeen games. Indeed, Wales was France's most difficult Five/Home Nations Championship opponent at the time, holding just a 5.88% win percentage against them, whereas they held a 6.67% win percentage (1/15) against England, a 20% win percentage (3/15) against Ireland, and a 21.43% win percentage (3/14) against Scotland. Wales, by contrast, held a win percentage above 39% against all other Home/Five Nations Championship opponents. By the end of 1959 France and Wales had played against each other a total of thirty-two times. And although France's win percentage had improved (to 18.75%), it was still significantly lower than their win percentage against the other Five Nations Championship opponents (their lowest being 26.67% against England; their highest being 37.93% against Scotland).

1960–1980: Turning the tide

From 1960 to 1980 the two sides had played each other on twenty-one occasions. The record was split 9–9, with three draws. By this point the tide had slowly turned to being a one-sided affair to a more competitive one. Up to that point Wales won 66.04% of their encounters and still remained France's most difficult Five Nations Championship opponent. French improvement remained consistent against all other Five Nations Championship competitors as well. Their win percentage at 1980 was 35.29% against England, 48.08% against Ireland, and 48% against Scotland.

1980s–1990s: French command

Similar to the first two decades between France and Wales, in which Wales won an overwhelming majority of fixtures played between the pair, between the years 1980 and 1999 France dominated the Welsh; they won seventeen out of twenty-three meetings (73.91%), including a twelve-match win streak between the years 1983 and 1993.

Six Nations era: 2000–present

Since the introduction of the Six Nations Championship, both France and Wales have won six titles each, including four Grand Slam's. Early during the 2000s France largely maintained the stronghold that they gained throughout the previous decade, winning eight out of eleven matches. Following Wales' 2008 Six Nations Championship win over France,[3][4] it took Wales four years before they would win another match (2012).[5][6] In both years Wales were crowned Six Nations Champions.


As of 2024, both teams are each others most competitive test side, with France holding a 48.08% win percentage against Wales in their match-ups, and Wales holding a 49.04% win percentage.

Results

No. Date Venue Score Winner Competition
1 2 March 1908 National Stadium, Cardiff 36–4  Wales 1908 Home Nations Championship
2 23 February 1909 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 5–47  Wales 1909 Home Nations Championship
3 1 January 1910 St Helen's, Swansea 49–14  Wales 1910 Five Nations Championship
4 28 February 1911 Parc des Princes, Paris 0–15  Wales 1911 Five Nations Championship
5 25 March 1912 Rodney Parade, Newport 14–8  Wales 1912 Five Nations Championship
6 27 February 1913 Parc des Princes, Paris 8–11  Wales 1913 Five Nations Championship
7 2 March 1914 St Helen's, Swansea 31–0  Wales 1914 Five Nations Championship
8 17 February 1920 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 5–6  Wales 1920 Five Nations Championship
9 26 February 1921 National Stadium, Cardiff 12–4  Wales 1921 Five Nations Championship
10 23 March 1922 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 3–11  Wales 1922 Five Nations Championship
11 24 February 1923 St Helen's, Swansea 16–8  Wales 1923 Five Nations Championship
12 27 March 1924 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 6–10  Wales 1924 Five Nations Championship
13 28 February 1925 National Stadium, Cardiff 11–5  Wales 1925 Five Nations Championship
14 5 April 1926 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 5–7  Wales 1926 Five Nations Championship
15 26 February 1927 St Helen's, Swansea 25–7  Wales 1927 Five Nations Championship
16 9 April 1928 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 8–3  France 1928 Five Nations Championship
17 23 February 1929 National Stadium, Cardiff 8–3  Wales 1929 Five Nations Championship
18 21 April 1930 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 0–11  Wales 1930 Five Nations Championship
19 28 February 1931 St Helen's, Swansea 35–3  Wales 1931 Five Nations Championship
20 22 March 1947 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 0–3  Wales 1947 Five Nations Championship
21 21 February 1948 St Helen's, Swansea 3–11  France 1948 Five Nations Championship
22 26 March 1949 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 5–3  France 1949 Five Nations Championship
23 25 March 1950 National Stadium, Cardiff 21–0  Wales 1950 Five Nations Championship
24 7 April 1951 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 8–3  France 1951 Five Nations Championship
25 22 March 1952 St Helen's, Swansea 9–5  Wales 1952 Five Nations Championship
26 28 March 1953 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 3–6  Wales 1953 Five Nations Championship
27 27 March 1954 National Stadium, Cardiff 19–13  Wales 1954 Five Nations Championship
28 26 March 1955 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 11–16  Wales 1955 Five Nations Championship
29 24 March 1956 National Stadium, Cardiff 5–3  Wales 1956 Five Nations Championship
30 23 March 1957 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 13–19  Wales 1957 Five Nations Championship
31 29 March 1958 National Stadium, Cardiff 6–16  France 1958 Five Nations Championship
32 4 April 1959 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 11–3  France 1959 Five Nations Championship
33 26 March 1960 National Stadium, Cardiff 8–16  France 1960 Five Nations Championship
34 25 March 1961 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 8–6  France 1961 Five Nations Championship
35 24 March 1962 National Stadium, Cardiff 3–0  Wales 1962 Five Nations Championship
36 23 March 1963 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 5–3  France 1963 Five Nations Championship
37 21 March 1964 National Stadium, Cardiff 11–11 draw 1964 Five Nations Championship
38 27 March 1965 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 22–13  France 1965 Five Nations Championship
39 26 March 1966 National Stadium, Cardiff 9–8  Wales 1966 Five Nations Championship
40 1 April 1967 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 20–14  France 1967 Five Nations Championship
41 23 March 1968 National Stadium, Cardiff 9–14  France 1968 Five Nations Championship
42 22 March 1969 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 8–8 draw 1969 Five Nations Championship
43 4 April 1970 National Stadium, Cardiff 11–6  Wales 1970 Five Nations Championship
44 27 March 1971 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 5–9  Wales 1971 Five Nations Championship
45 25 March 1972 National Stadium, Cardiff 20–6  Wales 1972 Five Nations Championship
46 24 March 1973 Parc des Princes, Paris 12–3  France 1973 Five Nations Championship
47 16 February 1974 National Stadium, Cardiff 16–16 draw 1974 Five Nations Championship
48 18 January 1975 Parc des Princes, Paris 10–25  Wales 1975 Five Nations Championship
49 6 March 1976 National Stadium, Cardiff 19–13  Wales 1976 Five Nations Championship
50 5 February 1977 Parc des Princes, Paris 16–9  France 1977 Five Nations Championship
51 18 March 1978 National Stadium, Cardiff 16–7  Wales 1978 Five Nations Championship
52 17 February 1979 Parc des Princes, Paris 14–13  France 1979 Five Nations Championship
53 19 January 1980 National Stadium, Cardiff 18–9  Wales 1980 Five Nations Championship
54 7 March 1981 Parc des Princes, Paris 19–15  France 1981 Five Nations Championship
55 6 February 1982 National Stadium, Cardiff 22–12  Wales 1982 Five Nations Championship
56 19 March 1983 Parc des Princes, Paris 16–9  France 1983 Five Nations Championship
57 18 February 1984 National Stadium, Cardiff 16–21  France 1984 Five Nations Championship
58 30 March 1985 Parc des Princes, Paris 14–3  France 1985 Five Nations Championship
59 1 March 1986 National Stadium, Cardiff 15–23  France 1986 Five Nations Championship
60 7 February 1987 Parc des Princes, Paris 16–9  France 1987 Five Nations Championship
61 19 March 1988 National Stadium, Cardiff 9–10  France 1988 Five Nations Championship
62 18 February 1989 Parc des Princes, Paris 31–12  France 1989 Five Nations Championship
63 20 January 1990 National Stadium, Cardiff 19–29  France 1990 Five Nations Championship
64 2 March 1991 Parc des Princes, Paris 36–3  France 1991 Five Nations Championship
65 4 September 1991 National Stadium, Cardiff 9–22  France 1991 Rugby World Cup warm-up match
66 1 February 1992 National Stadium, Cardiff 9–12  France 1992 Five Nations Championship
67 20 March 1993 Parc des Princes, Paris 26–10  France 1993 Five Nations Championship
68 19 February 1994 National Stadium, Cardiff 24–15  Wales 1994 Five Nations Championship
69 21 January 1995 Parc des Princes, Paris 21–9  France 1995 Five Nations Championship
70 16 March 1996 National Stadium, Cardiff 16–15  Wales 1996 Five Nations Championship
71 25 September 1996 National Stadium, Cardiff 33–40  France 1996 France tour of Wales
72 15 February 1997 Parc des Princes, Paris 27–22  France 1997 Five Nations Championship
73 5 April 1998 Wembley Stadium, London (England) 0–51  France 1998 Five Nations Championship
74 6 March 1999 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 33–34  Wales 1999 Five Nations Championship
75 28 August 1999 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 34–23  Wales 1999 Rugby World Cup warm-up match
76 5 February 2000 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 3–36  France 2000 Six Nations Championship
77 17 March 2001 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 35–43  Wales 2001 Six Nations Championship
78 16 February 2002 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 33–37  France 2002 Six Nations Championship
79 29 March 2003 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 33–5  France 2003 Six Nations Championship
80 7 March 2004 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 22–29  France 2004 Six Nations Championship
81 26 February 2005 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 18–24  Wales 2005 Six Nations Championship
82 18 March 2006 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 16–21  France 2006 Six Nations Championship
83 24 February 2007 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 32–21  France 2007 Six Nations Championship
84 26 August 2007 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 7–34  France 2007 Rugby World Cup warm-up match
85 15 March 2008 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 29–12  Wales 2008 Six Nations Championship
86 27 February 2009 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 21–16  France 2009 Six Nations Championship
87 26 February 2010 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 20–26  France 2010 Six Nations Championship
88 19 March 2011 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 28–9  France 2011 Six Nations Championship
89 15 October 2011 Eden Park, Auckland (New Zealand) 8–9  France 2011 Rugby World Cup
90 17 March 2012 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 16–9  Wales 2012 Six Nations Championship
91 9 February 2013 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 6–16  Wales 2013 Six Nations Championship
92 21 February 2014 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 27–6  Wales 2014 Six Nations Championship
93 28 February 2015 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 13–20  Wales 2015 Six Nations Championship
94 26 February 2016 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 19–10  Wales 2016 Six Nations Championship
95 18 March 2017 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 20–18  France 2017 Six Nations Championship
96 17 March 2018 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 14–13  Wales 2018 Six Nations Championship
97 1 February 2019 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 19–24  Wales 2019 Six Nations Championship
98 20 October 2019 Ōita Stadium, Ōita (Japan) 20–19  Wales 2019 Rugby World Cup
99 22 February 2020 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 23–27  France 2020 Six Nations Championship
100 24 October 2020 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 38–21  France 2020 Autumn International
101 20 March 2021 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 32–30  France 2021 Six Nations Championship
102 11 March 2022 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 9–13  France 2022 Six Nations Championship
103 18 March 2023 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 41–28  France 2023 Six Nations Championship
104 10 March 2024 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 24–45  France 2024 Six Nations Championship
105 31 January 2025 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 2025 Six Nations Championship

XV results

Below is a list of matches that France has awarded matches test match status by virtue of awarding caps, but Wales did not award caps.

Date Venue Score Winner Competition
22 December 1945 St. Helen's, Swansea 8–0  Wales XV Victory International
22 April 1946 Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes 12–0  France XV Victory International

References

  1. ^ Butler, Eddie (15 October 2011). "Rugby World Cup 2011: Wales fall to France as red card colours game". The Observer. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  2. ^ Calvert, Lee (20 October 2019). "Wales 20-19 France: Rugby World Cup 2019, quarter-final – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Wales 29 France 12". wru.wales. Welsh Rugby Union. 15 March 2008.
  4. ^ Davies, Sean (15 March 2008). "Wales 29–12 France". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 February 2011.
  5. ^ Roberts, Gareth (17 March 2012). "Six Nations: Wales 16–9 France". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019.
  6. ^ Mockford, Sarah (17 March 2012). "Wales 16–9 France: The Grand Slam Verdict". Rugby World. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020.