Noves becomes first France coach to be sacked

It’s official. Guy Noves has lost his job as head coach of France.

In news that will come as a surprise to precisely no one, Bordeaux-Bègles’ Jacques Brunel will take over for the 2018 Six Nations, FFR president Bernard Laporte told a press conference.

Brunel is expected to leave the Bordeaux hotseat after the weekend’s trip to Stade Francais, having signed a contract to the end of the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

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But, although Laporte confirmed Noves’ lieutenants Yannick Bru and Jean-Frederic Dubois have also left their posts, he refused to confirm speculation as to their replacements.

He told journalists: “He [Brunel] will decide his own staff. He’s got the shoulders to take on that kind of responsibility.”

Several Top 14 coaches have been linked to staff jobs in the national set-up in recent weeks, including Toulon’s Fabien Galthie, Clermont’s Franck Azema and La Rochelle’s Patrice Collazo.

Reports now suggest Galthie could join Lyon’s forwards coach Sebastien Bruno, supported by Julien Bonnaire, in a new-look France coaching team after Azema and Collazo publicly distanced themselves from roles in the set-up.

Noves has become the first-ever head coach of the French national rugby side to be removed from the role. He leaves the job after less than two years with an record of 13 defeats and a draw in 22 matches since he replaced Philippe Saint-Andre after the 2015 World Cup. Patience ran out after the 2017 November internationals, in which he named nearly 70 players but could not engineer a win in four matches.