The 2024 summer tour of Argentina saw the teams share the spoils, drawing the series one-all, so this game offers both sides the chance to settle the scores and claim bragging rights once and for all.
Head-to-Head
France and Argentina have met on 55 occasions, with Les Bleus winning 39 of these fixtures. Argentina have claimed 15 wins, with one draw. France have won four of the last five encounters against Los Pumas.
However, Argentina triumphed in their most recent clash, beating France 33-25 in July and ending a five-game losing streak against Les Bleus.
Each of the previous four Tests between these sides at the Stade de France has been decided by single-figure margins, with two wins apiece at the venue.
Form Guide
Fabien Galthié’s men will head into this fixture with spirits high after their thrilling 30-29 victory over the All Blacks at a packed Stade de France. Saturday night’s game marked the two sides’ first meeting since last year’s World Cup opener on the same turf. Fourteen months on, the result remained the same.
Following their All Blacks win, France have now secured seven victories in 10 Tests in 2024, along with one draw against Italy in the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
Argentina come into this match off the back of a narrow three-point loss to Ireland last weekend. They have won six of their 11 games in 2024, including a historic Rugby Championship campaign where they defeated every team at least once for the first time.
Argentina have scored four or more tries in each of their six victories this year, including seven in their most recent game, a 50-18 triumph over Italy a fortnight ago. Overall, they have averaged 4.3 tries per game in 2024, their highest annual average since 2004 (5.9).
Los Pumas will be eager to steal a win in Paris after the disappointment against Ireland.
Stats Dive
Argentina have gained the most metres per carry of any Tier 1 team in men’s rugby in 2024 (4.3), while France (32.4) and Argentina (31.9) lead the way in metres per kick in play among Tier 1 sides.
The forward battle promises to be intense. Argentina boasts an impressive 98% scrum success rate, the highest among men’s Tier 1 nations in 2024, and a 90% success rate at their own lineout, the second highest this year.
Individual performances could again prove decisive. Last weekend, France’s Georges-Henri Colombe led the turnover charts, winning three against New Zealand, while Argentina’s Juan Martín González delivered seven dominant tackles against Ireland, the most of any player in the recent round of the Autumn Nations Series.
