History of rugby union matches between France and Ireland
Since 1909, France and Ireland have played each other in a total of 99 test matches, with France winning 57 times, Ireland winning 35 times and seven matches drawn.[1]
Apart from fixtures played in the Five Nations / Six Nations Championship competitions, four games have been played at the Rugby World Cup in 1995, 2003, 2007 and 2015, in which France were victorious in the first three and Ireland in the last one in 2015. The sides have also met on four other occasions outside the Five Nations / Six Nations Championship: in 1909 (the first match between the two teams), a one-off match in 1972 and two Rugby World Cup warm-up matches in 2011.
Summary
Note: Summary below reflects test results by both teams.
Overview
| Details | Played | Won by France |
Won by Ireland |
Drawn | France points | Ireland points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In France | 48 | 34 | 12 | 2 | 896 | 500 |
| In Ireland | 48 | 21 | 22 | 5 | 600 | 621 |
| Neutral venue | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 57 |
| Overall | 99 | 57 | 35 | 7 | 1584 | 1178 |
Records
Note: Date shown in brackets indicates when the record was or last set.
| Record | France | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Longest winning streak | 15 (1 Feb 1986–19 Mar 2000) | 6 (26 Jan 1924–25 Jan 1930) |
| Largest points for | ||
| Home | 45 (17 February 1996) | 30 (7 February 2009) |
| Away | 32 (18 January 1997) | 31 (11 February 2006) |
| Largest winning margin | ||
| Home | 39 (6 April 2002) | 24 (24 March 1913) |
| Away | 19 (26 January 1963) | 15 (11 October 2015) |
Results
XV Results
Below is a list of matches that France has awarded matches test match status by virtue of awarding caps, but Ireland did not award caps.
| Date | Venue | Score | Winner | Competition | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 January 1946 | Lansdowne Road, Dublin | 3–4 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} France |
Victory International | Not classed as a full international by Ireland, but France classed it as a Test match |
| 14 May 1988 | Auch | 18–19 |  Ireland |
Friendly | Neither team awarded international appearances |
| 18 May 1988 | Lorient | 12–7 |  France |
Friendly | Neither team awarded international appearances |
Breakdown
In the World Cup, the teams have played each other on four occasions, 1995, 2003, 2007 and 2015, with France winning on 3 occasions and Ireland winning once; there have been no draws. In these games, France have scored 113 points, and Ireland 60.
In the Five Nations (1910-1931 and 1947-1999), Ireland played France on 70 occasions, Ireland winning 23, France 42 and five matches have been drawn.
In the Six Nations (2000-present), Ireland have played France on 20 occasions, Ireland winning 9, France 9 and two matches have been drawn. In these games, Ireland have scored 359 points, and France 439.
In other test matches, Ireland have played France on four other occasions, in 1909, 1972 and twice in 2011, with two wins apiece.
References
- "espnscrum.com - Statsguru - Team records - Ireland and France". espnscrum.com. Retrieved 7 March 2012.