FRENCH RUGBY CLUBS have opposed the idea of having a foreign coach for the national team, according to the results of a referendum released on Friday.
Just 900 of the 1,742 amateur clubs in France opted to take part in the vote, and 59% voted against the proposal, the French rugby federation said, despite a disappointing 2019 Six Nations tournament and low expectations for this year’s World Cup in Japan.
“I will respect this choice,” said federation head Bernard Laporte, who has made handing power back to the clubs the motif of his bid for re-election as FFR chief in 2020.
Current France coach Jacques Brunel will step down after the World Cup and Laporte was keen to test the potential grassroots support for a foreigner taking up the reins.
Laporte opened the debate in the wake of France finishing a disappointing fourth in this season’s Six Nations, saying at the time that he had not ruled out appointing a first-ever foreign coach to replace Brunel, with France to host the next World Cup in 2023.
Laporte did not name any possible replacements for the 65-year-old Brunel, who has been in charge since 2017, but said he had ‘gone to meet the five best coaches in the world to offer them the job’.
Among the names bandied around as potential candidates to replace Brunel were New Zealand duo Warren Gatland — who led Wales to this season’s Six Nations Grand Slam — and current Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, as well as Australian Eddie Jones, presently at the helm of England.
France is alone among Europe’s leading rugby union nations in never having employed a foreign head coach.
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I blame mourinho for Brexit, Trump, and global warming.
@Eamo world class Dunphy: Just because 97% of scientists agree that Trump exists doesn’t mean he does.
A lot of the teams went to had top quality stars in their panels , so it’s obvious some big name was going to suffer, he was successful and got breaks along the way . I would watch with interest if he took over at a club that needed turning around on a modest budget ! But I don’t think a club like this would take the chance on him , or he with them , without a money chest behind them .
@Tricksy: like Porto for example? Or Inter Milan? Oh wait
@Anthony: you miss my point Anthony , he got lucky with Porto , 1 all v Utd in ex time to go on and beat Monaco . Porto were top of their domestic league for years , before Jose came . Inter had world stars in the team . Point : manage a team from a turn around position , limited budget.
@Tricksy: much as I dispise the man he won uefa and champs league with the team he built himself, that will never happen again. A horrible billix tho
No he was just finished