History of rugby union matches between France and Ireland


Since 1909, France and Ireland have played each other in a total of 98 test matches, with France winning 56 times, Ireland winning 35 times and seven matches drawn.
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, 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

Records

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

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.
DateVenueScoreWinnerCompetitionComments
26 January 1946Lansdowne Road, Dublin3 - 4Victory InternationalNot classed as a full international by Ireland, but France classed it as a Test match
14 May 1988Auch18 - 19FriendlyNeither team awarded international appearances
18 May 1988Lorient12 - 7FriendlyNeither 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, Ireland played France on 70 occasions, Ireland winning 23, France 42 and five matches have been drawn.
In the Six Nations, 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.