page_title: History of the France national rugby union team
section_title: The Five Nations and the Olympics
hierarchical_section_title: History of the France national rugby union team / The Five Nations and the Olympics
caption_attribution_description: English: Rugby union match at the Inter-Allied Games of 1919: Romania vs. France (France up by 48 to 5). Stade de Colombes (Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir), Colombes, France.
context_page_description: The French national rugby union team first competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics.
context_section_description: France played Wales for the first time on 2 March 1908, losing 36 – 14 away from home. On March 20, 1909, France played Ireland for the first time, falling 19–8.
  When Scotland played France in the first official international match between the two countries in 1910, the foundation was laid for a Five Nations competition. Their first win in the competition came against Scotland 16–15 in Paris in 1911. In early 1913, France was host to a touring Springboks party, France lost 5 points to 35, the match was part of an era that last from 1911 until 1920 which saw France lose 18 games in a row.
  In 1919, the Fédération Française de Rugby was formed, 13 years after France's Test debut. At the 1920 Antwerp Olympics there was another rugby event and France was one of only two teams to enter. A straight final took place between the US and France but the US caused a shock by winning 8–0 to take the gold medal. Their first win in the five nations against Ireland was attained in 1920 in Dublin – 15–7. During their last match of the 1921 Five Nations, France showed signs of new strength beating Ireland 20 to 10. Though France did not win a game the following year, the side did draw with Scotland and England.
  For the 1924 Olympics held in Paris rugby union was again included. France scored 13 tries to comfortably defeated Romania 59–3, with winger Adolphe Jaureguy scoring four. The final took place at Colombes Stadium in Paris on May 18, 1924 and the US took the gold with a 17–3 victory in front of 30,000 spectators. The All Blacks returned to France in 1925, the first time since their inaugural Test against them in 1906, France lost 6 to 30.
caption: Romania versus France at the Inter-Allied Games of 1919
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