The Great History of French Flair in Rugby

From Christophe Dominici to Romain Ntamack, many French players have perpetuated the tradition of “French Flair”. But actually, what does this term really mean?

For more than 60 years, the French Rugby Team has cultivated its difference thanks to its famous French Flair. A mixture of improvisation, madness and high rugby IQ, this style specific to the French XV has entered popular language. With the World Cup fast approaching, focus on this style of play that we hope to see in action when the Blues enter the fray against the All Blacks on September 8.

The Most English of Compliments

You don’t need to have done an Erasmus in London to realize that the words best characterizing the playing style of French rugby players come from the language of Shakespeare. The reason ? It was a British journalist who coined this expression.

It is March 23, 1963. The XV of France receives Wales in Colombes. At the end of a close game, the French won by a (very) small score of 5 to 3. Journalist Pat Marshall, who covered the match for the Daily Star, was present on site. Despite the small score, he is impressed by the French style of play. In his report, he defines it with these terms: French Flair. The legend is in progress.

The French Panache

Rugby may well be, first and foremost, a sport of contact and power, but it is not against a few little pranks. Finally, during a match, don’t we also come to see superb hooks, rackets, sprints and other chisteras? The French players have understood this well.

Originally, French Flair came in opposition to the rough and conventional play of British teams (especially England). It is characterized by risk-taking, improvisation, inventiveness and crazy moves that few players would dare attempt. Obviously, since 1963, rugby has evolved, and so have its players. The French are therefore not the only ones to master running kicks, blind passes or energetic body feints… But they were among the first to put it to the service of the game… And the results

In the Legend

Yes, if French Flair is now an integral part of the Ovalie vocabulary, it is also because it has allowed the XV of France to get out of bad situations on numerous occasions.

If Colombes 1963 gave birth to the term, it was not until 1970 that the expression took on even more meaning. Two matches will particularly mark the spirits of European rugby: Scotland-France in January, which sees our blues win on the pitch at Murrayfield and especially France-England in April in Colombes. During the crunch, the Frenchies crushed their neighbors by a score of 35 to 13 with spectacular attempts. Over the following years, different generations of French players would perpetuate this tradition of the beautiful game and even elevate it to the rank of art.

And the World Discovered “Flair”

And, like painting, gastronomy or sculpture, the latter will be exported. Among its most famous representatives, how can we not mention the absolute legend of French rugby: Serge Blanco. Arriving in the French team in 1980, the man nicknamed “the little Mozart of French rugby” (well, well) combines speed, vision and explosiveness… And will actively participate in popularizing the “FF” internationally. Particularly during the Rugby World Cup in 1987.

For 1 month between May and June, the world’s eyes are fixed on Australia and New Zealand. The two countries are hosting this very first major international tournament. It is therefore the perfect moment for the French to show the oval planet what they are capable of. For more than three weeks, Blanco’s teammates showed off all their class and reached the final against the Blacks. To get there, they managed to beat Australia at the last second thanks to an anthology try full of mismatches, mischief and explosiveness concluded by… Serge Blanco. That’s it, the world knows: the French are capable of turning the tide of any match… And in style.

The Century’s Try

If Serge Blanco and the heroes of 1987 put the “FF” on the world map, other anthological moments will end up putting Flair in the golden book of international rugby. Let us cite, for example, Philippe Sella’s two crazy kicks to eliminate the English defense, conclude a 110-meter action and allow Philippe Saint-André to score “the try of the century” on the Twickenham lawn during the Tournament of the V Nations 1991.

Another legendary test, the one that we call “the test at the end of the world”, marked after a completely crazy collective action on the lawn of Eden-Park in Auckland in 1994. How, either, not to speak of the malice of Christophe Dominici to punish the Blacks in 1999? For the youngest among us, French rugby has also graced us with moments of pure flair, such as during the victory of Romain Ntamack’s teammates against New Zealand (40-25) in November 2021 or that against the English in March 2023.

In short, as you will have understood, French Flair, from its infancy in the 1960s until its advent during the 1987 World Cup, has established itself as the trademark of the French. So we can’t wait to see it in action on September 8.