History of rugby union matches between England and France explained

The first rugby union match between England and France was held on 22 March 1906 at Parc des Princes in Paris.

The traditional name for the annual England versus France rugby union match in the Six Nations Championship as used on both sides of the English Channel is Le Crunch, used since at least 1981 (although it has been named "Eurostar Trophy" a few times in France, since 2000).[1] Apart from their annual match, currently part of the Six Nations Championship, the teams have also met in six warm-up matches prior to the 2003, 2007 and 2015 World Cups, with France winning on four occasions and England two. They have also met on five occasions at the Rugby World Cup with England winning on three occasions and France two. England and France have played each other on 110 occasions, England winning 60, France winning 44, and 7 matches have been drawn. Overall, England have scored 1,795 points, and France 1,490.

Summary

Overall

DetailsPlayedWon by
England
Won by
France
DrawnEngland pointsFrance points
In England5336125949609
In France5523302801836
Neutral venue31204545
Overall111604471,7951,490

Records

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

RecordEnglandFrance
Longest winning streak11 (22 March 1906 – 28 March 1921)4 (1 February 1975 – 21 January 1978)
Largest points for
Home55 (21 March 2015)37 (26 February 1972)
Away39 (13 April 1914)53 (11 March 2023)
Largest winning margin
Home37 (28 January 1911)25 (26 February 1972; 12 March 2006)
Away27 (22 March 1906)43 (11 March 2023)

Results

No.DateVenueScoreWinnerCompetition
122 March 1906Parc des Princes, Paris8–351906 England tour of France
25 January 1907Athletic Ground, Richmond41–131907 France tour of England
31 January 1908Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes0–191908 England tour of France
430 January 1909Welford Road, Leicester22–01909 France tour of England
53 March 1910Parc des Princes, Paris3–111910 Five Nations Championship
628 January 1911Twickenham Stadium, London37–01911 Five Nations Championship
78 April 1912Parc des Princes, Paris8–181912 Five Nations Championship
825 January 1913Twickenham Stadium, London20–01913 Five Nations Championship
913 April 1914Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes13–391914 Five Nations Championship
1031 January 1920Twickenham Stadium, London8–31920 Five Nations Championship
1128 March 1921Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes6–101921 Five Nations Championship
1225 February 1922Twickenham Stadium, London11–11 draw1922 Five Nations Championship
132 April 1923Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes3–121923 Five Nations Championship
1423 February 1924Twickenham Stadium, London19–71924 Five Nations Championship
1513 April 1925Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes11–131925 Five Nations Championship
1627 February 1926Twickenham Stadium, London11–01926 Five Nations Championship
172 April 1927Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes3–01927 Five Nations Championship
1825 February 1928Twickenham Stadium, London18–81928 Five Nations Championship
191 April 1929Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes6–161929 Five Nations Championship
2022 February 1930Twickenham Stadium, London11–51930 Five Nations Championship
216 April 1931Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes14–131931 Five Nations Championship
2219 April 1947Twickenham Stadium, London6–31947 Five Nations Championship
2329 March 1948Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes15–01948 Five Nations Championship
2426 February 1949Twickenham Stadium, London8–31949 Five Nations Championship
2525 February 1950Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes6–31950 Five Nations Championship
2624 February 1951Twickenham Stadium, London3–111951 Five Nations Championship
275 April 1952Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes3–61952 Five Nations Championship
2828 February 1953Twickenham Stadium, London11–01953 Five Nations Championship
2910 April 1954Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes11–31954 Five Nations Championship
3026 February 1955Twickenham Stadium, London9–161955 Five Nations Championship
3114 April 1956Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes14–91956 Five Nations Championship
3223 February 1957Twickenham Stadium, London9–51957 Five Nations Championship
331 March 1958Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes0–141958 Five Nations Championship
3428 February 1959Twickenham Stadium, London3–3 draw1959 Five Nations Championship
3527 February 1960Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes3–3 draw1960 Five Nations Championship
3625 February 1961Twickenham Stadium, London5–5 draw1961 Five Nations Championship
3724 February 1962Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes13–01962 Five Nations Championship
3823 February 1963Twickenham Stadium, London6–51963 Five Nations Championship
3922 February 1964Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes3–61964 Five Nations Championship
4027 February 1965Twickenham Stadium, London9–61965 Five Nations Championship
4126 February 1966Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes13–01966 Five Nations Championship
4225 February 1967Twickenham Stadium, London12–161967 Five Nations Championship
4324 February 1968Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes14–91968 Five Nations Championship
4422 February 1969Twickenham Stadium, London22–81969 Five Nations Championship
4518 April 1970Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes35–131970 Five Nations Championship
4627 February 1971Twickenham Stadium, London14–14 draw1971 Five Nations Championship
4726 February 1972Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes37–121972 Five Nations Championship
4824 February 1973Twickenham Stadium, London14–61973 Five Nations Championship
492 March 1974Parc des Princes, Paris12–12 draw1974 Five Nations Championship
501 February 1975Twickenham Stadium, London20–271975 Five Nations Championship
5120 March 1976Parc des Princes, Paris30–91976 Five Nations Championship
521 February 1977Twickenham Stadium, London3–41977 Five Nations Championship
5321 January 1978Parc des Princes, Paris15–61978 Five Nations Championship
541 February 1979Twickenham Stadium, London7–61979 Five Nations Championship
552 February 1980Parc des Princes, Paris13–171980 Five Nations Championship
5621 March 1981Twickenham Stadium, London12–161981 Five Nations Championship
5720 February 1982Parc des Princes, Paris15–271982 Five Nations Championship
5815 January 1983Twickenham Stadium, London15–191983 Five Nations Championship
593 March 1984Parc des Princes, Paris32–181984 Five Nations Championship
602 February 1985Twickenham Stadium, London9–9 draw1985 Five Nations Championship
6115 March 1986Parc des Princes, Paris29–101986 Five Nations Championship
6221 February 1987Twickenham Stadium, London15–191987 Five Nations Championship
6316 January 1988Parc des Princes, Paris10–91988 Five Nations Championship
644 March 1989Twickenham Stadium, London11–01989 Five Nations Championship
653 February 1990Parc des Princes, Paris7–261990 Five Nations Championship
6616 March 1991Twickenham Stadium, London21–191991 Five Nations Championship
6719 October 1991Parc des Princes, Paris10–191991 Rugby World Cup
6815 February 1992Parc des Princes, Paris13–311992 Five Nations Championship
6916 January 1993Twickenham Stadium, London16–151993 Five Nations Championship
705 March 1994Parc des Princes, Paris14–181994 Five Nations Championship
714 February 1995Twickenham Stadium, London31–101995 Five Nations Championship
7222 June 1995Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (South Africa)9–191995 Rugby World Cup
7320 January 1996Parc des Princes, Paris15–121996 Five Nations Championship
741 March 1997Twickenham Stadium, London20–231997 Five Nations Championship
757 February 1998Stade de France, Saint-Denis24–171998 Five Nations Championship
7620 March 1999Twickenham Stadium, London21–101999 Five Nations Championship
7719 February 2000Stade de France, Saint-Denis9–152000 Six Nations Championship
787 April 2001Twickenham Stadium, London48–192001 Six Nations Championship
792 March 2002Stade de France, Saint-Denis20–152002 Six Nations Championship
8015 February 2003Twickenham Stadium, London25–172003 Six Nations Championship
8130 August 2003Stade Vélodrome, Marseille17–162003 Rugby World Cup warm-up match
826 September 2003Twickenham Stadium, London45–14
8316 November 2003Stadium Australia, Sydney (Australia)24–72003 Rugby World Cup
8427 March 2004Stade de France, Saint-Denis24–212004 Six Nations Championship
8514 February 2005Twickenham Stadium, London17–182005 Six Nations Championship
8612 March 2006Stade de France, Saint-Denis31–62006 Six Nations Championship
8711 March 2007Twickenham Stadium, London26–182007 Six Nations Championship
8811 August 2007Twickenham Stadium, London15–212007 Rugby World Cup warm-up match
8918 August 2007Stade Vélodrome, Marseille22–9
9013 October 2007Stade de France, Saint-Denis9–142007 Rugby World Cup
9123 February 2008Stade de France, Saint-Denis13–242008 Six Nations Championship
9215 March 2009Twickenham Stadium, London34–102009 Six Nations Championship
9320 March 2010Stade de France, Saint-Denis12–102010 Six Nations Championship
9426 February 2011Twickenham Stadium, London17–92011 Six Nations Championship
958 October 2011Eden Park, Auckland (New Zealand)19–122011 Rugby World Cup
9611 March 2012Stade de France, Saint-Denis22–242012 Six Nations Championship
9723 February 2013Twickenham Stadium, London23–132013 Six Nations Championship
981 February 2014Stade de France, Saint-Denis26–242014 Six Nations Championship
9921 March 2015Twickenham Stadium, London55–352015 Six Nations Championship
10015 August 2015Twickenham Stadium, London19–142015 Rugby World Cup warm-up match
10122 August 2015Stade de France, Saint-Denis25–20
10219 March 2016Stade de France, Saint-Denis21–312016 Six Nations Championship
1034 February 2017Twickenham Stadium, London19–162017 Six Nations Championship
10410 March 2018Stade de France, Saint-Denis22–162018 Six Nations Championship
10510 February 2019Twickenham Stadium, London44–82019 Six Nations Championship
1062 February 2020Stade de France, Saint-Denis24–172020 Six Nations Championship
1076 December 2020Twickenham Stadium, London22–19Autumn Nations Cup Final
10813 March 2021Twickenham Stadium, London23–202021 Six Nations Championship
10920 March 2022Stade de France, Saint-Denis25–132022 Six Nations Championship
11011 March 2023Twickenham Stadium, London10–532023 Six Nations Championship
11116 March 2024Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon33–312024 Six Nations Championship

Non-test results

Below is a list of matches that were not awarded test match status and so do not appear in the list of official statistics.

No.DateVenueScoreWinnerCompetition
120 April 1974Twickenham Stadium, London7–26Paris Air Disaster fund raiser[2]
212 October 2019International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama (Japan)0–0draw2019 Rugby World Cup[3]

List of series

YearEnglandFranceSeries winner
19061align=center
19071align=center
19081align=center
19091align=center

Notes and References

  1. The Irish Times, May 27, 1981, page 27.
  2. Web site: Streaking into rugby history ... at a cost of £10 . ESPN . 2 February 2020.
  3. Web site: List of matches between England and France ordered by reverse match date. ESPN Rugby. 21 October 2019.