Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

World Cup chaos: Mutiny call follows axing of French captain ahead of final pool match

France line up for their national anthem. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)

France’s Rugby World Cup campaign is threatening to descend into a farce after players were told to overthrow the coaching staff by controversial Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal, while skipper Guilhem Guirado has reportedly been relieved of his captaincy duties by management.

ADVERTISEMENT

Although they have already qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals prior to this weekend’s top-of-the-pool clash with England, France have been underwhelming thus far in the tournament, notching scrappy wins over minnows Tonga and the USA after edging out Argentina in their opening match last month.

According to The Telegraph, the three-time runners-up’s patchy form has led to suggestions of unrest within the national set-up, with Guirado reported to have lost confidence in head coach Jacques Brunel and assistant Fabien Galthie.

Midi Olympique has claimed that the 33-year-old will not start in Saturday’s match in Yokohama as a result of falling out with Brunel and Galthie.

Instead, it is believed that Racing 92 hooker Camille Chat – who has started the last two tests against Tonga and the United States – will don the No. 2 jersey.

Continue reading below…

Video Spacer

Midi Olympique is also reporting that the playing group is fully in support of Guirado, although it is understood that prop Jefferson Poirot will be asked to lead the side against England.

The news comes after a training session scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled at short notice.

Adding to the fallout within the national side is the involvement of Boudjellal, who has called for the players to “take control” against the coaching staff, who he believes are preparing Les Bleus for failure.

ADVERTISEMENT

The turbulence within the French squad echoes the troubles that France dealt with during the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, where then-head coach Marc Lievremont lost his power over his team following their shock 19-14 defeat at the hands of Tonga in their final pool match.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3VXrddgT7B/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The player-led side went on to reach the final of that tournament, going down 8-7 to the hosts in what remains their last appearance in a World Cup final.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the French national football side had a civil war within their own ranks, with Patrice Evra leading a player-led revolt against star striker Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home for abusing head coach Raymond Domenech.

ADVERTISEMENT

Boudjellal wants the country’s rugby side to follow suit to help prevent what he believes to be an inevitable early exit from Japan.

“Take control guys, take the power, because there are coaches all over the place. Our team spirit is almost non-existent,” Boudjellal said in a video blog.

“Individually, we have players who are world class. Collectively, for several years, that hasn’t been the case.

“Since when have we been frightened against these teams [such as Tonga], who we respect, of course, but who aren’t on our level? Take control guys, because it is your history, your World Cup.

“You are there for your career and for your country. You are there for French rugby and to try to go as far as possible, to see if you can win this World Cup – but we will only get there if you take control.

“Our coaches who are there, I invite you to visit Japan, go and look around, treat yourself and leave the players to tell their own stories because for years I have not understood the game plan of this France team.

“Something is going wrong, so it’s over to you guys [the players]. Tell the coaches to go on holiday. Write your story yourself.

“There is a lot of experience, there are guys in this group who will certainly be major coaches in the future, so start to be a big coach today. Kick the coaches out, take control, tell your own story, because we are ready to follow you.”

The French coaching set-up is already under scrutiny, with Galthie set to overtake Brunel as head coach following on from this World Cup.

The 2002 World Player of the Year joined the French coaching ranks as Brunel’s assistant in April following a subpar Six Nations campaign, which included three losses and a record 44-8 thrahsing at the hands of this weekend’s opponents at Twickenham.

France’s pre-World Cup results improved since Galthie’s arrival, but morale within the squad has plummeted since a near-second half capitulation against Argentina, which almost led to a repeat of the 2011 loss to Tonga on Sunday.

A defeat to Eddie Jones’ side in four days’ time would pit France up against the winners of Pool D, which is shaping to be Wales, who defeated France 24-19 in their Six Nations opener in Paris earlier this year.

Conversely, victory would see them face the runners-up of that group, which looks set to be Australia, who prevailed 25-23 in their last encounter three years ago at the Stade de France.

With the fate of their playoffs to be decided come Saturday, all eyes will be on Brunel and his side as they face the media on Wednesday.

In other news:

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

HSBC SVNS Vancouver | Men's Day Three Highlights

HSBC SVNS Vancouver | Women's Day Three Highlights

"I would love to play with Siya Kolisi" | HSBC Life on Tour | Vancouver

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Behind the Scenes with the Stars of the Kenya Rugby Sevens Team | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 7

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 3 | France Week

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JW 1 hour ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

LOL angry at what? You trying to put words into peoples mouths with your wild theories? No I’m well used to that by now mate.

ou should stop making silly comments like ‘a very small set of examples’ if you don’t want ppl to call you out and start taking you seriously!

I have no idea what you’re talking about.

FYI he’s started at 10 53 times since 2020/21 in all comps.

Yes, as I’ve said. 38 of those times were (SR) after Mo’unga left for Japan, and possibly even the 8 times for Waikato (even though on a ‘sabbatical’ he was still made to play NPC after returning from Japan for some reason) were because NZR told him he had to switch because Richie was leaving.


I can’t really make sense of what you’re trying to argue but all I can think I said was;

He’s only got a very small set of examples so understandable people don’t immediately adjust to him as the best in the world

I’m referring to international fans, who are only really going to watch the All Blacks, so yes, it’s them trying to compare his games last year to what they imagine he played like as a fullback for so long. Outside that, he’s played say now 45 odd times since he made the switch, and only 30 odd (thanks to a full SR season there) of the past 150 before that, you’re idea that it makes him a first five and therefor not still learning, is “entirely false”


If you want people to start taking you seriously Nick you really need to up your debating game! No seriously though I know I like to avoid explaining things for dummies but you very rarely have the right take on any of my theories, you’ve just got you’re own angle that takes over, so don’t expect to be able to debate much (as it will be by yourself basically lol). I suspect it’s something to do with needing to keep a lot of things in your mind for your articles that it’s probably impossible for you to just listen and not introduce outside noise, so no biggie.

164 Go to comments
J
Jacob Brown 1 hour ago
Crusaders prepare for 'dangerous in all elements' Chiefs game-breaker

Never have I  ever missed my favorite crypto podcast. There was this one episode where the guest was over the moon about Asset Rescue Specialist. I made a mental note, never thinking that I would ever need them. That changed when a malware attack wiped my $500,000 wallet clean. One minute I was going through my portfolio; the next, it was zero. My heart sank. I checked everything: my security logs, transaction history, even my device settings. That is when I saw it: unauthorized transfers draining my entire balance. Panic hit hard.I scrambled for solutions, frantically searching through forums, threads on Reddit, and tech support pages. But deep down, I knew this wasn't something so simple to fix. Then, in the middle of my chaos, that podcast episode remembered itself. He spoke of Asset Rescue Specialist with such confidence that I decided to trust his experience.It was one of the smartest things I could have done, reaching out to Asset Rescue Specialist. Since the very first message, they were calm, methodical, and reassuring. They made all the right questions and quickly diagnosed how the malware had invaded my wallet. Their team dove head-first into an advanced forensic recovery process while teaching me what went wrong.I was skeptical: how do you reverse a theft that's already happened? But they knew what they were doing. Their precision, their expertise, and just the determination to see it through blew me away. Then, the message changed everything: "We've recovered your funds." I couldn’t believe it. My $500,000 was back. My relief was indescribable. They didn’t just stop there—they fortified my security, patched vulnerabilities, and gave me a plan to ensure this never happens again.That podcast episode? Changed my life. Never thought casual listening would save my portfolio. Now, I don't listen for insights but for survival tips. And for whoever reads, let me share a piece of advice: you needn't wait for the worst to happen. Know who you are going to call before it's time.FOR MORE INFO:Company: ASSET RESCUE SPECIALISTWebsite info; https://assetrescuespecialist.com mail: assetrescuespecialist@qualityservice.com orsupport@assetrescuespecialist.com.WhatsApp:+ 1 9 0 3 5 5 9 1 7 3 3. 

4 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ The Springbok selection experiment is far from over The Springbok selection experiment is far from over
Search