France Secures Top Seed for 2027 Rugby World Cup After Victory Over Australia

On November 22, 2025, the French national rugby team, XV de France, secured a critical 48-33 victory over Australia, ensuring their status as a top-six seed for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. This decisive win, which concluded their autumn tour on a positive note, means France will be among the elite group of nations—including South Africa, New Zealand, Ireland, England, and Argentina—seeded for the World Cup draw scheduled for December 3, 2027.

France entered the match knowing they needed to avoid a loss by more than 15 points to guarantee this top seeding, a margin that became a concern in the weeks leading up to the encounter. Australia's team, which has endured a difficult season with 15 matches and lost all their autumn games for the first time since 1958, struggled against the highly motivated French side.

Standout player Nicolas Depoortere significantly contributed to France's success. The 22-year-old scored two tries against Australia, building on his earlier double against Fiji, and was named man of the match in only his seventh appearance for France. He reflected on the team's collective performance and expressed confidence about future competitions, looking ahead to the Six Nations opener against Ireland on February 5.

The final composition of the Rugby World Cup seedings will be confirmed by the end of November, with four pots of six nations each determined ahead of the official draw. France's top-seeded position reflects a strong performance trajectory heading into the highly anticipated 2027 tournament in Australia.