[3] Although France were represented at the 1900 Summer Olympics,[4] their first official test match did not take place until New Year's Day 1906, against the New Zealand All Blacks in Paris.

In that tournament they came from behind numerous times to defeat the Wallabies in their semi-final, and faced the All Blacks in final at Eden Park, Auckland; France lost 29–9.

Until 1912, the strip (uniform) of the French team was white with two rings (the symbol of USFSA, the body that ruled the sport in France by then).

[17] The Gallic rooster was probably chosen partly because it is considered as a proud and combative animal that can be sometimes aggressive, although it had been used previously as a symbol by French teams – a former association football player, Jean Rigal, wore a uniform with this emblem as early as May 1910.

[23] In March 2017, the Groupe Altrad showed its support for France's bid for the World Cup and the company's logo accompanied #France2023 on the jersey.

[24] As of 2017 and France's successful bid to host the World Cup, Groupe Altrad signed a contract with the FFR, appearing solely on the jerseys.

In 2017, the FFR announced that Le Coq Sportif would once again be their supplier for a period of six years, with them taking over production of the France national rugby shirt from July 2018 to June 2024.

[26] A few months before the 2023 World Cup kick-off, incoming FFR president Florian Grill announced Adidas' return as France's kit manufacturer from June 2024.

Furthermore, most of French daily and weekly newspapers follow the France national team just like sport specialist L'Équipe and especially rugby-focused Midi Olympique that is published every Monday and Friday.

France Rugby also posts videos of trainings and game weeks on its YouTube channel, where viewers can witness the players and staff routine in web series.

[32] Historically, France played internationals at venues such as the Parc des Princes and the Stade Olympique de Colombes, both in Paris.

[44] Starting an attack from inside their own half, the French passed the ball through 11 pairs of hands before fullback Serge Blanco beat Wallabies hooker Tom Lawton to score a try in the corner.

At the end of the match, France coach Daniel Dubroca angrily assaulted New Zealand referee Dave Bishop in the players tunnel.

[49] At the World Cup 2007, after defeating New Zealand 20–18 in the quarter-final, France lost out to England in the semi-finals losing 14–9 after finishing the break 5–6 ahead.

[citation needed] France's 2011 campaign was marked by turmoil within the camp; reports before the tournament indicated as many as 25 of the 30-member squad had turned against head coach Marc Lièvremont.

At this time, the players effectively rebelled against Lièvremont; after the tournament, Harinordoquy would tell the French rugby publication Midi Olympique, "We had to free ourselves from his supervision.

"[50] The team responded by defeating England 19–12 in the quarter-final and controversially beating Wales 9–8 in the semi-final after Welsh captain Sam Warburton was sent off.

Due to the status of rugby union as an amateur sport for most of its history, the job of deciding tactics and running team trainings has often been that of the captain or senior players.

The very first entitled head coach is former legend Jean Prat who won the 1967 Five Nations Championship as a manager before leaving the team before the summer tour of South Africa a few weeks later.

He continued to promote a forward-oriented style of play, and France won six Five Nations titles – including two Grand Slams – while he was coach.

[61] Dubroca's tenure as coach did not last long, however, as he resigned after violently confronting referee Dave Bishop following France's World Cup quarter-final against England.

After Philippe Saint-André turned down the offer to replace Laporte, French Rugby Federation president Bernard Lapasset appointed Marc Lièvremont to guide France to the 2011 World Cup.

[71] In April 2019, then-French Rugby Federation president Bernard Laporte announced that Fabien Galthié would be appointed as head coach of the team after the 2019 World Cup.

A week later, Jacques Brunel also confirmed that Galthié joined the France management crew as an assistant to prepare the team for the 2019 World Cup.

In December 2016, when World Rugby was considering a change in the eligibility rules for international selection, FFR president Bernard Laporte announced that the body would require that all France national team members hold French passports.

[79] Players who represented France prior to Laporte's announcement remained eligible for selection even if they did not hold French passports.

[82][83][84][85] Marcel Communeau (1885–1971), a back-rower for Stade Français at club level, played in France's first official international match against New Zealand's Original All Blacks in 1906.

[85] Lucien Mias (1930–2024), nicknamed Docteur Pack, was credited with inventing the concept of the advantage line in forward play.

[94] He is past president both of his longtime club, Biarritz Olympique, and France's national professional league, Ligue Nationale de Rugby.

[98] Flanker Thierry Dusautoir (born 1981) was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023 at the World Rugby Awards ceremony in Paris.