The France national rugby union team represents the French Rugby Federation in men's international rugby union matches. Colloquially known as Le XV de France, the team traditionally wears blue shirts with a Gallic rooster embroidered on the chest, white shorts and red socks in reference to the French national flag. Les Bleus mostly play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship along with England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. France have won the tournament on 26 occasions, winning the Grand Slam 10 times.
The Wales national rugby league team represents Wales in representative rugby league football matches. Currently the team is ranked 17th in the IRL World Rankings. The team was run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from Cardiff. Six Welsh players have been entered into the Rugby Football League Hall of Fame.
Ronald 'Ronnie' William Poulton was an English rugby union footballer, who captained England. He was killed in the First World War during the Second Battle of Ypres.
The French national rugby union team first competed at the 1900 Summer Olympics.
Richard Averill Lloyd was an Irish cricketer and rugby union player. At cricket, he was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler who played two first-class matches for the Ireland cricket team, also playing for Lancashire. In rugby union, he was a fly-half who played 19 times for the Ireland national rugby union team, scoring 72 points, and was regarded as one of the best goal-kickers of his time. He is regarded by his school, Portora Royal School, as one of their most famous pupils, alongside Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde.
Cecil Halliday Abercrombie was a Scottish international rugby union player, first-class cricketer, and an officer in the Royal Navy. Abercrombie passed out from the Britannia Royal Naval College into the Royal Navy in 1902, and shortly thereafter he served abord HMS Hyacinth in the British campaign in Somaliland, being part of the force that captured "Mullah" Hassan's stronghold in 1904. He would later serve aboard HMS Defence at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916, during which he was killed in action.
George Hayward was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Swansea, and was capped for Wales on five occasions and was part of the 1908 Home Nations Championship winning team.
Albert Percival "Percy" Coldrick was a Welsh dual code rugby player who played rugby union for Newport and rugby league for Wigan. He represented Wales under the union code and Wales and Great Britain under league rules.
Eric "Puss" MacLeod Milroy was a rugby union player who represented Scotland and Watsonians. He was capped twelve times for Scotland between 1910 and 1914, his first appearance coming as a surprise replacement for the Scottish captain, George Cunningham. He was selected for the 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa after other players were forced to withdraw. Due to illness, he only participated in three matches, and did not take part in any of the tests against South Africa. In 1914, he captained Scotland against Ireland, and against England in the last international match before the outbreak of the First World War.
Walter Michael "Mike" Dickson was a rugby union player, who represented Scotland, Blackheath and Oxford. He was killed in World War I.
Captain Lewis Robertson was a Scottish rugby union player. He played for London Scottish FC and was capped nine times for Scotland between 1908 and 1913. He also played for the Army from 1904 to 1914, and several other clubs.
William "Willie" Middleton Wallace was a rugby union player. He played fullback for Cambridge University RFC and was capped for Scotland in 1913–14.
Marie Jean-Baptiste Joseph Anduran, better known as Joé Anduran or Joe Anduran, was a French rugby union player. He was born on 24 April 1882 in Bayonne, and died at Bois-Bernard in the Pas-de-Calais on 2 October 1914, during the First World War.
Marcel Henry Burgun was a French rugby union player. He was born on 30 January 1890, in St Petersburg, Russia and died on 2 September 1916 during the First World War. He was 1 m 73 and weighed 72 kg, and played at centre, for France and Racing club de France.
Pierre Guillemin was a French rugby union player, who represented France, Paris and Racing Club de France (RCF).
Gaston Lane was a French rugby union player. He was 1 m 68 cm tall and weighed 68 kg.
Charles Henry "Cherry" Pillman was an English rugby union international who played on 18 occasions for his country and was part of the first official British Isles team that toured South Africa in 1910. He played club rugby with Blackheath and county rugby for Kent. Pillman's speed and tactics made him one of the leading exponents of an attacking wing forward, now recognised as the flanker position.
Arthur "Mud" James Dingle was a rugby union centre and wing, who won three caps for England, and played for County Durham, Hartlepool Rovers and Oxford University.
Douglas "Dan'l" Lambert was an English rugby union footballer for Harlequins, England, and the Barbarians. He won 7 caps for England between 1907 and 1911, notably scoring 5 tries on debut against France, and 22 points in another match against France. Lambert was all round sportsman: he was a scratch golfer, played football (soccer) for Corinthian Casuals, and kept wicket (cricket) for Hertforshire. He was killed in action at the Battle of Loos on 13 October 1915.
Alexander Roulston Foster was an Irish rugby union international who was part of the first official British Isles team that toured South Africa in 1910. He also played on 17 occasions for Ireland.
