The French rugby league team first played in 1934 on a tour of England. They have taken part in all World Cups, 15 in total, with the first being held in 1954 in France. They have never won the title but finished runners-up in both 1954 and 1968. These are often considered the glory years of French rugby league as from the 1950s to the 1970s the team were strong and regularly beat Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain. Since those days, "les Chanticleers" have not done as well, not managing to win a single match in the 1995 World Cup, but doing slightly better in 2000 with wins over Tonga and South Africa before losing to eventual finalists, New Zealand.