France · Rugby World Cup France 2023

Issue date4 Jul 2023

Total mintage15,120,000

EU maximum15,000,000

Editions3

Edge lettering2 ★ ★ × 6, alternating upright/inverted

InscriptionRUGBY WORLD CUP FRANCE 2023 / RF / FRANCE / 2023

DesignerJoaquin Jimenez

mintMonnaie de Paris, Pessac

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the sport of rugby and the Rugby World Cup France 2023, in which teams from twenty countries participate. The design depicts a stylized rugby player passing a ball in front of a globe, on which goalposts mark the playing field. Oval planets form an imaginary rugby galaxy; the depiction is complemented by the emblem and the name of the World Cup.

The design

Monnaie de Paris celebrates rugby and the Rugby World Cup with this coin design, in which teams from twenty countries will participate.

A stylized rugby player making a pass is depicted. In the background, a globe with goalposts standing on it forms the rugby pitch. The composition is part of an imaginary rugby galaxy in which the other planets are oval. The emblem of the Rugby World Cup is inscribed beside the player, and its designation is inscribed above in a semicircle. On the right are the issuing country “RF”, the mintmark and the mintmaster’s mark. At the lower left, the designation of the Rugby World Cup, the name of the issuing country “FRANCE” and the year of issue “2023” are inscribed. The semicircular designation and the name of the issuing country “RF” appear in the event’s official typeface (Mobius).

The outer ring of the coin bears the twelve stars of the European flag.

Background on the topic

Rugby originated in the 19th century from various forms of British school football. According to one account, in 1823 the schoolboy William Webb Ellis picked up the ball during a match at Rugby School and ran off with it. Whether the scene actually took place has not been proven. Nevertheless, it became the sport’s founding story; the World Cup trophy is also named the Webb Ellis Cup. The 2023 tournament therefore took place in the year of the 200th anniversary of this traditional account.

Rugby Union was played, the internationally widespread variant with 15 players on each side. One of the objectives is to ground the oval ball in the opponent’s in-goal area or kick it between the goalposts. Rugby Union is distinct from Rugby League, which is played with 13 players and partly different rules.

The first Rugby Union World Cup took place in Australia and New Zealand in 1987. Since then, the tournament has generally been held every four years. France is one of Europe’s traditional rugby nations. The sport is particularly well established in numerous cities and clubs in the southwest of the country. The French national team has participated in the present-day Six Nations (Sechs-Nationen-Turnier) since 1910.

The 2023 World Cup was played from 8 September to 28 October at nine French venues. The final took place at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis. South Africa defeated New Zealand there and won its fourth world title. France had already been the main host of a Rugby World Cup in 2007; individual matches had also been held in the country during earlier tournaments.

The coin issue therefore combined several occasions: France’s role as host, the tournament’s international reach and the anniversary year of rugby’s traditional founding story. As a circulating coin, it was intended to make the sporting event visible beyond the circle of spectators and collectors.