As Ireland prepare to take on the France for a win that could well decide how far either country can get in this autumn's Rugby World Cup, Les Bleus - like Ireland - have avoided embarrassing defeats en route to qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Four years ago, of course, they reached the final and came close to toppling eventual champions New Zealand - but not without ructions behind the scenes.
That was particularly laid to bare after the unexpected pool defeat to Tonga that year as the French slipped to a 19-14 defeat in Wellington, sparking recriminations between the squad and then head coach Marc Lievremont.
A losing bonus point meant France scraped through to the quarters, but not before the coach had castigated his players, which did not go down well with them.
Indeed, former back-row Imanol Harinordoquy told French rugby outlet Midi Olympique that the squad had essentially coached themselves to the final, ignoring Lievermont in the process: "We had to free ourselves from his supervision. He cast the stone at us too often. When something goes wrong, we're all in the same boat. There are no good or bad guys."
And it was that defeat to Tonga that appeared to be the true turning point and you can relive it right here:
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