In July 2024, the France rugby union team toured Argentina and Uruguay (their fifteenth overall), as part of the conventional Summer International calendar. Starting in 2012, France has toured Argentina in a two-test series in the year directly following the Rugby World Cup (RWC). However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tour was cancelled.
Reported in April 2023, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) announced key dates for the 2023–24 season, with news of a French tour of Argentina. As the tour is only on a two-test basis, speculation mounted over a possible third match against either Chile or Uruguay. A match against Uruguay was confirmed in April 2024. France were also scheduled to play a match against a World XV at the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, as a pre-tour warm-up on 22 June; however, this match was cancelled in May 2024 after the organisers failed to satisfy safety and security conditions.
As well as being toured by France more than any other team, France is also Argentina's most-played fixture, having faced each other more than 50 times. It is also expected to be France coach Fabien Galthié's first tour of Argentina, and the first international tests for new Pumas coach Felipe Contepomi, who captained Argentina against France on their 2012 tour.Memoria UAR 2012 on UAR.com.ar
Fixtures Date Home Score AwayVenue City 22 June – World XV San Mamés Bilbao6 July 13–28 Malvinas Argentinas Mendoza10 July 28–43 Charrúa Montevideo13 July 33–25 José Amalfitani Buenos Aires Notes
Matches France vs World XV
Argentina vs France (1st test)
FB 15Martín Bogado RW 14Bautista DelguyOC 13Matías MoroniIC 12Jerónimo de la Fuente LW 11Mateo CarrerasFH 10Santiago CarrerasSH 9 Gonzalo Bertranou N8 8 Joaquín OviedoOF 7 Marcos Kremer BF 6 Pablo MateraRL 5 Lucas Paulos LL 4 Matías Alemanno TP 3 Eduardo Bello HK 2 Julián Montoya (c) LP 1 Thomas Gallo Substitutions:HK 16Ignacio Ruiz PR 17Mayco Vivas PR 18Lucio Sordoni LK 19Franco Molina FL 20Juan Bautista Pedemonte SH 21Lautaro Bazán FH 22Tomás Albornoz CE 23Matías Orlando Coach: Felipe Contepomi FB 15Léo Barré RW 14Théo AttissogbéOC 13Émilien GailletonIC 12Antoine FrischLW 11Lester EtienFH 10Antoine HastoySH 9 Baptiste Serin (c) N8 8 Jordan Joseph OF 7 Oscar JegouBF 6 Lenni NouchiRL 5 Baptiste Pesenti LL 4 Hugo Auradou TP 3 Georges-Henri Colombe HK 2 Gaëtan Barlot LP 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros Replacements:HK 16Teddy Baubigny PR 17Sébastien Taofifénua PR 18Demba Bamba LK 19Posolo Tuilagi FL 20Mickaël Guillard FL 21Ibrahim Diallo SH 22Baptiste Couilloud FB 23Melvyn Jaminet Coach: Fabien Galthié Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland) Eoghan Cross (Ireland) Television match official: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa) Foul play review officer: Quinton Immelman (South Africa) Notes: Franco Molina, Juan Bautista Pedemonte (both Argentina), Théo Attissogbé, Hugo Auradou, Lester Etien, Antoine Frisch, Mickaël Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Jordan Joseph and Lenni Nouchi (all France) made their international debuts.
Uruguay vs France
FB 15Baltazar AmayaRW 14Mateo Viñals OC 13Felipe Arcos PérezIC 12Andrés Vilaseca (c)LW 11Bautista BassoFH 10Felipe EtcheverrySH 9 Santiago Arata N8 8 Manuel Diana OF 7 Santiago Civetta BF 6 Manuel ArdaoRL 5 Manuel LeindekarLL 4 Felipe Aliaga TP 3 Reinaldo Piussi HK 2 Germán Kessler LP 1 Mateo Sanguinetti Substitutions:HK 16Guillermo Pujadas PR 17Ignacio Péculo PR 18Diego Arbelo LK 19Ignacio Dotti FL 20Lucas Bianchi N8 21Carlos Deus CE 22Tomás Inciarte WG 23Ignacio Álvarez Coach: Rodolfo Ambrosio FB 15Lucas Dubois RW 14Jules FavreOC 13Arthur VincentIC 12Léon DarricarrèreLW 11Joris JurandFH 10Léo Berdeu SH 9 Baptiste Couilloud (c) N8 8 Killian Tixeront OF 7 Romain BriatteBF 6 Ibrahim DialloRL 5 Florent VanverbergheLL 4 Pierre-Henri Azagoh TP 3 Thomas Laclayat HK 2 Teddy Baubigny LP 1 Giorgi Beria Replacements:HK 16Jannick Tarrit PR 17Sébastien Taofifénua PR 18Demba Bamba LK 19Posolo Tuilagi FL 20Yann Peysson SH 21Baptiste Jauneau FH 22Joris Segonds WG 23Nathanaël Hulleu Coach: Fabien Galthié Assistant referees: Gonzalo de Achaval (Argentina) Tomás Bertazza (Argentina) Notes: Santiago Arata (Uruguay) earned his 50th test cap. This was the first time Uruguay has hosted France in a test match.
Argentina vs France (2nd test)
FB 15Santiago CorderoRW 14Bautista Delguy OC 13Matías MoroniIC 12Santiago ChocobaresLW 11Mateo CarrerasFH 10Santiago Carreras SH 9 Lautaro Bazán Velez N8 8 Joaquín OviedoOF 7 Marcos Kremer BF 6 Pablo MateraRL 5 Lucas Paulos LL 4 Franco Molina TP 3 Eduardo Bello HK 2 Julián Montoya (c) LP 1 Mayco Vivas Substitutions:HK 16Ignacio Ruiz PR 17Thomas Gallo PR 18Lucio Sordoni LK 19Matías Alemanno LK 20Pedro Rubiolo SH 21Gonzalo Bertranou FH 22Tomás Albornoz CE 23Matías Orlando Coach: Felipe Contepomi FB 15Léo BarréRW 14Théo AttissogbéOC 13Émilien GailletonIC 12Antoine FrischLW 11Lester EtienFH 10Antoine HastoySH 9 Baptiste Serin (c) N8 8 Jordan Joseph OF 7 Judicaël CancorietBF 6 Lenni NouchiRL 5 Baptiste Pesenti LL 4 Mickaël Guillard TP 3 Georges-Henri Colombe HK 2 Gaëtan BarlotLP 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros Replacements:HK 16Teddy Baubigny PR 17Sébastien Taofifénua PR 18Demba Bamba LK 19Posolo Tuilagi FL 20Romain Briatte FL 21Killian Tixeront SH 22Baptiste Jauneau FH 23Léo BerdeuCoach: Fabien Galthié Assistant referees: Chris Busby (Ireland) Eoghan Cross (Ireland) Television match official: Quinton Immelman (South Africa) Foul play review officer: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa) Notes: Pablo Matera (Argentina) became the third Argentine player to earn his 100th test cap. Romain Briatte, Baptiste Jauneau and Killian Tixeront (all France) made their international debuts. Argentina win a home test match for the first time since their 48–17 victory over Australia during the 2022 Rugby Championship. Argentina earn their first win over France since 2016.
Sexual assault cases On 8 July 2024, two French rugby players, Pau lock Hugo Auradou and the La Rochelle flanker Oscar Jégou, were both arrested in Buenos Aires, Argentina on sexual abuse charges. Both men allegedly attacked a woman while at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, Argentina on 6 July 2024 while the Les Bleus tour was underway in the area.
On 12 August 2024 both players were released, although they were not allowed to leave Argentina, being forced to remain in the country until the trial begins. The judge based his decision on contradictions about how the events happened and the existence of consent from the alleged victim.Liberaron a los rugbiers franceses acusados de violación on Página12
See also 2024 mid-year rugby union tests 2024 England rugby union tour of New Zealand 2024 Ireland rugby union tour of South Africa 2024 Wales rugby union tour of Australia
References