Guided tours behind the scenes of rugby and the France XV at Marcoussis, in Essonne

From July 1, 2026, the iconic Marcoussis National Rugby Center will lift the curtain on its secrets with a set of unprecedented guided tours. From training pitches to tech-innovation hubs, discover this site in the heart of Essonne that invites fans to dive into the France XV’s preparations.

After Clairefontaine for football fans, the spotlight shifts to Marcoussis, the rugby temple, which is also opening its doors to the public for guided tours with Cultival! From July 1, 2026, step behind the scenes of the National Rugby Centre, one of the sport’s top hubs in France, where players from the XV of France and France 7 gather ahead of marquee dates like the Six Nations Tournament or the World Cup!

Nestled in the heart of the domaine de Bellejame and its woods, the center sprang from the ruins of a former castle (there are eight of them in Marcoussis!), a site that Bernard Lapasset, then-president of the FFR, set his sights on in the early 2000s. Today, only the old dovecote remains. The aim of this place was then to craft a framework for French rugby players, giving them a chance to stop wandering and stay at peak form for both national duty and club play.

This high-performance center in Linas-Marcoussis, in Essonne, regularly hosts these gatherings, overseen by the national team’s staff and led by head coach Fabien Galthié.

During these exceptional tours, visitors will get to explore the Résidence du XV in a lush, green setting, spotting geese and their goslings by a pond that looks utterly bucolic—bestowing a distinctly rural and tranquil vibe on the site. By the way, the tennis-court net right across the way didn’t last long, as players ended up using it to fish in the pond!

You’ll get to see the spaces that pace their daily life, from the impressively large gym to the auditorium in the Blues’ colors, the press room, and the training pitches, with six rugby pitches at the heart of the complex, one of which is particularly vast and features a grandstand to welcome the supporters.

These are the spaces where players sharpen the precision of their movements and master the phases of play. There is even a machine to improve the scrum dedicated to the conquest phases, or the environmental chamber that allows players to acclimate to extreme heat, altitude or humidity. A genuine innovation in sport, and it exists in only a handful of units in France!

Athletes from other disciplines—basketball, track and field, tennis, judo or football—regularly come here to train. Visitors will admire the team's Code of Honor in the Hall of Honor or the finest achievements in the Trophy Room, telling the story of French rugby and the sport's core values: teamwork, respect, solidarity, sharing, and a clear sense of mission.

Quite astonishing, unlike Clairefontaine, the 20-hectare training centre isn’t hidden away deep in the forest out of earshot, but sits right on the edge of residential streets where neighbors could almost watch the pitch and France’s rugby stars from their own homes.

As this is a area normally reserved for staff and players, be sure to bring your ID to gain access, plan for weather-appropriate attire, and wear comfortable shoes for roughly an hour and a half of walking through the heart of the center.

While the site may be less spectacular than the National Football Center—less in the spotlight and less visually recognizable—rugby fans will especially enjoy discovering the anecdotes scattered throughout the tour of this modern complex and walking in the footsteps of iconic players, from Antoine Dupont to Sébastien Chabal, including Thierry Dusautoir and Frédéric Michalak!

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.