Disaster Looms for France at the 2027 Rugby World Cup
The 2027 Rugby World Cup, set to be held in Australia from October 1st to November 13th, may hold a premature end for the French XV, despite initial optimism following Wednesday’s pool draw in Sydney. While the draw appears favorable on the surface, potential pitfalls lie ahead.
France finds itself in a pool with Japan (ranked 12th by World Rugby), the United States (16th), and Samoa (19th). historically, France has dominated encounters with these opponents. They boast a perfect 4-0 record against Samoa, with seven wins and one draw against Japan, and seven wins against the USA alongside two losses dating back to the 1920 and 1924 Olympic finals.
This suggests a likely qualification for the round of 16 as the pool’s top seed. However,captain Grégory Alldritt cautions,”It could have been worse,that’s for sure. This is a chicken that everyone will certainly describe as affordable. Now you have to pay attention to everything but what matters is what will happen next.”
The real challenge begins in the eighth-finals. France could face either Scotland or Ireland, depending on the outcome of the other group. The ancient record against both nations is concerning. France has lost four of their last ten matches against Scotland, with recent contests often decided by a narrow margin of three to four points.
Against Ireland, the record is balanced with five wins and five losses but significantly favors the Irish when considering the last 15 clashes: eight Irish victories and two draws, alongside the five French wins. This raises the specter of early elimination,a fate the French XV has narrowly avoided in recent years,having not reached the semi-finals since 2011.The path to success, despite a seemingly easy pool, is fraught with danger for the heavily-favored French side.
