Ibanez gets high-profile French role
NEWS: Former hooker and captain Raphael Ibanez will take over as manager of France following the 2019 World Cup, he told AFP on Friday.
Ibanez, 46, said he had been offered the post by Bernard Laporte, president of the French Rugby Federation, “and I said yes to the job of manager.”
Currently a rugby consultant for French TV, his managerial responsibilities will include acting as linkman between French clubs and international players and staff.
Another former French captain Fabien Galthie is tipped to replace Jacques Brunel as coach following the World Cup.
Galthie, 50, won 64 caps as a scrum-half and will work as an assistant to Brunel in the build-up to the tournament which starts on September 20, according to reports.
He will then take over permanently on a contract until 2023 – when France will host the competition.
Galthie has had spells at the helm of French clubs Montpellier, Toulon and Stade Francais where he won the Top 14 title.
Ibanez was capped 98 times, won the Five/Six Nations four times and played in the losing French side in the 1999 World Cup final against Australia.
Prior to taking the manager’s job, Ibanez said he would join the coaching staff of New Zealand club Thames Valley, for a short spell of just a few weeks.
Agence France-Presse
