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Former Italy lock Josh Furno pops up in France's sixth flight competition

Josh Furno (David Rogers/Getty Images)

Not so very long ago he was contesting lineouts against the likes of Paul O’Connell and Alun Wyn Jones in the Six Nations, but now Josh Furno is facing a very different challenge – the sixth flight of French rugby.

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According to reports in France, Furno has signed on to play for Birdart Union Club in the lower reaches of French amateur rugby.

The 30-year-old is currently listed as a player for MLR San Diego Legion, but he is awaiting the commencement of that league which was abandoned earlier this year due to the pandemic. It appears Furno has opted to keep fit with Birdart, who are currently playing in the Regional 1 competition in France (formerly the Promotion Honneur – Championnat Territorial). Based in the Basque region, Bidart are essentially contesting the sixth flight of rugby in France.

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The 6’7, 114kg Furno has 37 Italian caps to his name and looked like a coming force in international rugby when he burst onto the scene in 2012 with a string impressive performances in the Six Nations. However, his international career ground to a halt, his last cap coming in 2016.

Furno has enjoyed a true journeyman career. Born in Melbourne Australia, the star of Italy’s U20s 2008 U20s team got his start in professional rugby at Viadana in 2009, before being picked by the now-defunct Aironi in 2010. From there his career took him to Narbonne and then Biarritz in France, before switching to the Premiership with Newcastle Falcons in 2014. He upped sticks again in 2016, returning to Italy with Zebre.

In 2017 he signed with Otago, before coming full circle to the land of his birth with Western Force in 2018. In 2019 he divided his time between Wellington in the Mitre 10 and San Diego Legion in the MLR.

In total he’s played for 11 clubs on three continents in seven leagues – and he still just 30-years-old. Birdart may just be a temporary port of call, but one wonders where’s next for this once-promising lock turned rugby journeyman.

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J
JW 35 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Where? I remember saying "unders"? The LNR was formed by the FFR, if I said that in a way that meant the 'pro' side of the game didn't have an equal representation/say as the 'amateur' side (FFR remit) that was not my intent.


But also, as it is the governing body, it also has more responsibility. As long as WR looks at FFR as the running body for rugby in France, that 'power' will remain. If the LNR refuses to govern their clubs use of players to enable a request by FFR (from WR) to ensure it's players are able to compete in International rugby takes place they will simply remove their participation. If the players complain to the France's body, either of their health and safety concerns (through playing too many 'minutes' etc) or that they are not allowed to be part in matches of national interest, my understanding is action can be taken against the LNR like it could be any other body/business. I see where you're coming from now re EPCR and the shake up they gave it, yes, that wasn't meant to be a separate statement to say that FFR can threaten them with EPCR expulsion by itself, simply that it would be a strong repercussion for those teams to be removed (no one would want them after the above).


You keep bringing up these other things I cannot understand why. Again, do you think if the LNR were not acting responsibly they would be able to get away with whatever they want (the attitude of these posters saying "they pay the players")? You may deem what theyre doing currently as being irresponsible but most do not. Countries like New Zealand have not even complained about it because they've never had it different, never got things like windfall TV contracts from France, so they can't complain because theyre not missing out on anything. Sure, if the French kept doing things like withholding million dollar game payments, or causing millions of dollars of devaluation in rights, they these things I'm outlining would be taking place. That's not the case currently however, no one here really cares what the French do. It's upto them to sort themselves out if they're not happy. Now, that said, if they did make it obvious to World Rugby that they were never going to send the French side away (like they possibly did stating their intent to exclude 20 targeted players) in July, well then they would simply be given XV fixtures against tier 2 sides during that window and the FFR would need to do things like the 50/50 revenue split to get big teams visiting in Nov.

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