Although confined mainly to the southwest of the country, rugby enjoys a passionate following throughout France. The French have a rich rugby heritage and are renowned throughout the world for the flair with which they play the game. Their high-risk strategies make the national team a fascinating side to watch, capable of the sublime – when everything clicks – and the abject, but rarely anything in between. French rugby's greatest moment to date came in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup, when they stunned the world by trouncing favourites New Zealand with an exhilarating display of attacking rugby. Rather predictably, however, they blew cold in the final, putting up feeble resistance against an Australian side that never had to rouse itself out of second gear.More international fare is provided by the Six Nations tournament – the other five nations being England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy – which takes place every year between February and April. Matches are played alternately at home and away. Over the past few years, France has consistently challenged for the title, and in 1997, 1998 and 2002 it achieved the considerable feat of winning back-to-back Grand Slams – "Grand Slam" being the term used to describe a clean sweep of victories over the other nations. Domestically, the French clubs have ridden out rugby's occasionally fraught transition from amateur to professional status and look to be in good shape. Though France has lost some of its stars to predatory English clubs, unlike in football the majority of the national side still plays at home. Sides to watch for are Toulouse and Brive (past winners of the European Cup), Dax and Agen, and the Basque teams of Bayonne and Biarritz, which still retain their reputation as keepers of the game's soul.
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