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No off-field distractions for France, insists Brunel
By Peter Hanson
Jacques Brunel is adamant there will be no off-field distractions for his France side at the Six Nations.
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On Tuesday, the French Rugby Federation confirmed its headquarters had been searched by police, although further details were not forthcoming.
Brunel will take charge of Les Bleus for the first time when France welcome Ireland to Paris on February 3 and the new head coach insists the focus is purely on rugby.
“All the problems surrounding all those issues have had no influence on us whatsoever,” said Brunel.
“We don’t know what’s happening, we have been kept separate from all of that, and so we haven’t been influenced by that at all.”
France last won the Six Nations in 2010, and former coach Guy Noves was sacked after a poor return that yielded just seven wins from the 21 Tests he oversaw.
But Brunel is adamant his side can compete for the title.
“We want to be contenders throughout the tournament. We’re fully focused on the first match, but we’ll try to be contenders,” he said.
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“The first thing we have to do is create a common ambition, a common story where we feel at ease.”
