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Paris
8°
Rain showers
Our best tips
Rugby season runs through autumn and winter, so wrap up warm. Hospitality suites are heated, but you will be outside in the stands for the match itself. Layers are your friend.
Smart casual is the expected standard for rugby hospitality. A blazer or collared shirt works well for gentlemen; ties are welcome but not required. Ladies should dress for a smart daytime occasion.
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An Imperial host walks the paddock with you. One person, one number, the whole weekend.
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Getting around
Twickenham station is a 15-minute walk from the stadium, with regular services from London Waterloo. St Margarets and Richmond are alternatives.
Taxis are available from Richmond and Twickenham stations. Road closures apply on match days, so drop-off points are a short walk from the ground.
Several London bus routes serve the area. The 281 and H22 stop near the stadium. Special shuttle services often run from Richmond on international match days.
Known as Le Crunch, the France v England fixture is one of rugby union's oldest and most fiercely contested rivalries. First played in 1906, the match has been a centrepiece of the Five Nations and then Six Nations Championship for over a century. When England travel to Paris, the atmosphere at the Stade de France is unlike anything else in the tournament: 80,000 voices, La Marseillaise at full volume, and a French side that has always saved something special for les Anglais.
Playing France in Paris is the ultimate test. The noise, the passion, the hostility. There is nowhere else like it in rugby.
When you play England, you don't need a team talk. The jersey is enough.
France's debut on the world stage came at a cost; England ran in 35 points to their 8.
On 22 March 1906, France hosted England at the Parc des Princes in Paris in their first ever international rugby union match. England won 35–8, but the fixture marked France's arrival on the international stage. It was the beginning of a rivalry that would grow to define European rugby.
Admitted as full members in 1910, France spent seventeen years chasing their first win over England before finally claiming it in 1927.
France were admitted to the Home Nations Championship in 1910, expanding it to the Five Nations. The annual fixture against England became a permanent part of the calendar. France struggled in those early years, not winning their first match against England until 1927, but the seeds of a proper rivalry were planted.
Sixteen years on the outside; France returned in 1947 with a point to prove.
The Home Nations expelled France from the championship in 1931, citing concerns over violence on the pitch and allegations of professionalism in French club rugby. France would not return until 1947, missing 16 years of competition. The exile only sharpened French determination; when they came back, they came back hungry.
French flair did not arrive quietly; by the 1950s, Paris was already the most anticipated stop on the Five Nations calendar.
France shared the 1954 Five Nations title with England and Wales, but it was their outright championship win in 1959 that truly announced them as a force. By the 1950s, the fixture in Paris had become one of the most anticipated in the rugby calendar. French flair, as it would come to be known, was beginning to emerge: offloads, counter-attacks, and a willingness to run from anywhere on the pitch.
France's first Grand Slam was built on English disappointment; Paris had already learned how to end English ambitions.
In 1968, France completed their first Grand Slam, beating all four Home Nations in a single championship. The victory over England was central to that achievement. It was a watershed moment: France were no longer the plucky newcomers. They were genuine contenders, and the Paris fixture had become a place where English ambitions regularly came unstuck.
France's new 80,000-capacity home dwarfed the old Parc des Princes, and England were the first visitors to feel its scale in February 1998.
The newly built Stade de France in Saint-Denis became the home of French rugby from 1998. With a capacity of 80,000, it dwarfed the old Parc des Princes and transformed the matchday experience. The first France v England match at the new ground took place on 7 February 1998, with France winning 24–17. The stadium's retractable roof, sweeping bowl design, and proximity to central Paris made it one of the finest rugby venues in the world.
A new tournament, a new name; the same bruising result for England in Paris.
The Five Nations became the Six Nations in 2000 with the addition of Italy. The expanded tournament only heightened the significance of the France v England fixture. In the inaugural Six Nations, England travelled to Paris and lost 9–10 in a tense, bruising encounter. The rivalry had a new name, but the old intensity remained entirely intact.
Wilkinson's boot put 18 points on the board in Paris; the World Cup followed months later.
In 2003, Clive Woodward's England arrived in Paris needing a win to complete the Grand Slam. Jonny Wilkinson kicked 18 points in a 25–17 victory that confirmed England as the best side in the northern hemisphere. Later that year, England would win the Rugby World Cup in Sydney. The Paris win was the statement of intent; the World Cup was the fulfilment.
Twelve years of waiting, ended in Paris by the finest player on the planet.
Under Fabien Galthié, France completed a Grand Slam in 2022, their first since 2010. Antoine Dupont, widely regarded as the best player in the world, was the heartbeat of the side. The victory over England at the Stade de France was a highlight of the campaign, played in front of a raucous home crowd. French rugby had rediscovered its swagger, and the Paris fixture was once again the hottest ticket in European rugby.
England lead France 61 wins to 45, with 7 draws, across more than 110 meetings. In Paris, anything can happen.
The 2026 Six Nations saw France host England at the Stade de France on 14 March, continuing a fixture that has now been played over 110 times. England lead the all-time record with 61 wins to France's 45, with 7 draws. But statistics only tell part of the story. In Paris, on a spring evening, with the crowd in full voice, anything can happen. It always has.
