Throughout August 2007, various teams prepared for the Rugby World Cup in France with a short series of test matches, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere and involving the RBS Six Nations sides. In addition, South Africa played one test in Scotland following the 2007 Tri Nations and Argentina one test in their home country and one in Wales. The tests were effectively a replacement for the usual Autumn international series in November which does not take place in World Cup years.
Note: this article does not include international results not involving at least one side who had qualified for the 2007 World Cup.
4 August 2007 16:00 BST |
England | 62–5 | Wales |
Tries: Easter (4) 14' m, 20' c, 46' c, 50' c Borthwick 30' c Dallaglio 66' c Perry 74' c Robinson 78' m Tait 80+1' c Con: Wilkinson (7) Pen: Wilkinson 34' | (Report) | Try: D. James 59' m |
Twickenham, London Referee: Joël Jutge (France) |
4 August 2007 |
Argentina XV [4] | 70–14 | Chile XV [5] |
Tries: Serra (2) 8' c, 57' c Longo 29' c J. Fernández Lobbe (2) 33' c, 45' c M. Contepomi 38' c F. Contepomi 50' c Bosch 55' c Gaitán 68' c Scelzo 79' c Con: F. Contepomi (10) | (Report) | Try: Berti 3' c, 17' c Con: Berti (2) |
CASI, Buenos Aires Referee: Santiago Slinger (Uruguay) |
11 August 2007 |
England | 15–21 | France |
Pen: Barkley (4) 9', 22', 32', 39' Drop: Gomarsall 56' | (Report) | Try: Pelous 11' m Chabal 70' c Con: Élissalde Pen: Skrela (2) 16', 35' Élissalde 60' |
Twickenham, London Attendance: 63,251 Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland) |
11 August 2007 |
Scotland | 31–21 | Ireland |
Try: Hogg 5' c Henderson (3) 12' c, 46' m, 75' c E. Murray 19' m Con: Paterson (2) Parks | (Report) | Try: Boss 48' c Trimble 55' m Con: P. Wallace Pen: P. Wallace (2) 10', 59' Murphy 27' |
Murrayfield, Edinburgh Attendance: 25,127 Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England) |
15 August 2007 |
South Africa | 105–13 | Namibia |
Try: de Villiers 11' Smith (3) 18', 34', 70' Pietersen 22' Burger (3) 29', 56', 77' Fourie 39' du Randt 46' Montgomery 50' Willemse 63' du Plessis 73' Pienaar 80' van der Linde 80' Con: Montgomery (12) Pen: Montgomery (2) | (Report) | Try: Langenhoven 8'c Con: Wessels Pen: Wessels (2) |
Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa) |
18 August 2007 |
Canada | 42–12 | Portugal |
Try: Pyke Kleeberger Van der Merwe (2) Mensah-Coker Spicer Con: Pritchard (3) Pen: Pritchard (2 | Report [9] | Try: Mateus J. Pinto Con: Leal |
Twin Elm Rugby Park, Ottawa |
18 August 2007 |
France | 22–9 | England |
Try: Jauzion 48' c Con: Élissalde Pen: Élissalde (4) Michalak | (Report) | Pen: Wilkinson (3) |
Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) |
18 August 2007 |
Italy | 36–12 | Japan |
Try: Stanojevic (2) 6' m, 10' c Robertson 20' c Lo Cicero 68' c Mauro Bergamasco 80' c Con: Bortolussi (4) Pen: Bortolussi 3' | (Report) | Try: Nishiura 26' c Makiri 57' m Con: Ando |
Stadio Perruca, Aosta Attendance: 4,700 Referee: Dave Pearson (England) |
18 August 2007 |
Wales | 27–20 | Argentina |
Try: G. Thomas 9' c A. W. Jones 22' c M. Jones 25' c Con: Hook (3) Pen: Hook (2) | (Report) | Try: Corleto (2) 4' c, 51' c Con: Todeschini (2) Pen: Todeschini (2) |
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 38,284 Referee: Chris White (England) |
24 August 2007 |
Ireland | 23–20 | Italy |
Try: Trimble 27' c O'Gara 80+9' c Con: O'Gara (2) Pen: O'Gara (2) 6', 47' Drop: O'Gara 78' | (Report) | Try: Troncon 38' c Pratichetti 80+3' c Con: Bortolussi de Marigny Pen: Bortolussi 33' Drop: Bortolussi 22' |
Ravenhill, Belfast Attendance: 14,100 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales) |
25 August 2007 |
Scotland | 3–27 | South Africa |
Pen: Paterson 10' | (Report) | Try: Habana 22' c Fourie 26' c du Preez 28' c Con: Montgomery (3) Pen: Montgomery (2) 13', 52' |
Murrayfield, Edinburgh Attendance: 30,342 Referee: Christophe Berdos (France) |
25 August 2007 |
Portugal | 13 – 15 | Japan XV [12] |
Try: Diogo Mateus c Con: Duarte Pinto Pen: Malheiro Drop: Malheiro | Report [13] | Try: Watanabe 8' m Asano 72' c Con: Robins Pen: Ono 1' |
Stadio Comunale, Mogliano Veneto Referee: Giulio De Santis (Italy) |
The Georgia national rugby union team, nicknamed The Lelos, represents Georgia in men's international rugby union. The team is administered by the Georgian Rugby Union and takes part in the annual Rugby Europe Championship and the Rugby World Cup, which takes place every four years.
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 Italy national rugby union team represents the Italian Rugby Federation in men's international rugby union. The team is known as gli Azzurri. Savoy blue is the common colour of the national teams representing Italy, as it is the traditional colour of the royal House of Savoy which reigned over the Kingdom of Italy from 1860 to 1946.
The United States men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States of America Rugby Football Union in men's international rugby union. USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States, and is a member of Rugby Americas North, one of six regional governing bodies under World Rugby. Until rugby returned to Olympic competition, with sevens at the 2016 Rio Games, the United States was the reigning Olympic rugby champion, having defeated the one other competitor in 1920 and the two other competitors at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Daniel Arthur Parks is an Australian-born former Scotland international rugby union player and now coach. His primary playing position was at fly-half.
Raphaël Ibañez is a retired French rugby union footballer. A hooker, he played for the France national team 98 times, and as captain 41 times. After a career in club rugby management, he became Team Manager for France in 2020.
Alessandro Troncon is a former Italian rugby union player.
Fabien Pelous is a retired French rugby union player. A lock who also occasionally played as a number eight and flanker, he played the bulk of his professional career for Stade Toulousain, and is the all-time leader in appearances for the France national team. He retired as the most-capped lock for any nation in rugby history, with 100 of his 118 France appearances at that position, a record later broken by South Africa's Victor Matfield. Pelous was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2017.
The 2010 end-of-year rugby union tests, also known as the Autumn internationals in the northern hemisphere, saw Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in a competitive tour of the northern hemisphere. Test matches were also arranged with the various Pacific island teams and other non-Tier 1 international sides. This period also marked the conclusion of the 2011 Rugby World Cup qualifying process, as well as the beginning of the European Nations Cup.
The 2012 mid-year rugby union tests refer to the rugby union Internationals that were played through June, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.
The 2012 autumn internationals, also known as the autumn tests, November tests and, in the Southern Hemisphere, the end of year tests, were international rugby union matches. They were predominantly played between visiting Southern Hemisphere countries and European nations.
The 2013 end of year rugby tests, also known as the 2013 Autumn internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, were a series of international rugby union matches predominantly played between European sides - England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, and visiting Southern Hemisphere countries - Argentina, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa and Tonga.
The 2014 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2014 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 15th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. It was contested by England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Including the competition's previous incarnations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship, it was the 120th edition of the tournament.
In June 2013, England played a two-test series against Argentina as part of the 2013 mid-year rugby test series. This series was part of the second year of the global rugby calendar established by the International Rugby Board, which runs through to 2019.
In June 2013, France played a three-test series against New Zealand as part of the 2013 mid-year rugby test series. This was the sides' first encounter since they met in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final, which New Zealand won 8–7. It was France's first test series against the All Blacks since their 2009 two-test tour of New Zealand, which ended in a 1–1 draw.
The 2014 mid-year rugby union internationals were international rugby union matches mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June international window.
The 2016 mid-year rugby union internationals are international rugby union matches that were mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June international window.
In June 2016, France played a two-test series against Argentina as part of the 2016 mid-year rugby union tests. They played Los Pumas across the two weeks that were allocated to the June International window, and which were part of the fourth year of the global rugby calendar established by the International Rugby Board, which runs through to 2019. This was the first French tour to Argentina since their drawn series in 2012.
The 2017 mid-year rugby union internationals were international rugby union matches that were mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June international window.