Noves: Poacher turned gamekeeper

 

"The French coaches work the players like slaves," is just one of the criticisms Noves levelled at the France set-up during his spell as Toulouse coach, but now he must change his tune after being named France head coach.

 

The 61-year-old – who at the second time of asking will take the France job having turned it down in 2011 – has never been one to mince his words accusing those who ran the national team of 'polluting the Championship' and of 'killing rugby and the clubs in the medium term'.

 

However, Noves has qualified those sentiments by saying no one could accuse him of not being supportive of the national team.

 

Noves' frank speaking has always been treated with respect given his remarkable record as Toulouse head coach.

 

Indeed he arrives with probably the best CV since fellow former Toulouse greats Jean-Claude Skrela and Pierre Villepreux shared the national job back in the 1990's.

 

Noves, an effective wing for Toulouse which earned him seven Test caps, learnt the coaching ropes at Toulouse with that duo and was alongside Skrela and Villepreux when he collected his first national title as a coach in 1988.

 

Noves like two other high profile French leaders Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo hails from Spanish stock, his grandfather being a rag and bone man who sought sanctuary in France from the fascist forces of General Franco after they prevailed in the bloody Civil War in the 1930's.

 

Spain's loss has been very much Toulouse's gain as Noves has devoted his life to the fortunes of the rugby club – with a brief hiatus at nearby Blagnac – for the best part of 40 years as player and coach.

 

Largely this has yielded unrivalled success, driven on by a mentality that demands he emerges the best in any facet of life.

 

His prowling along the touchline – still sporting the fine athletic build that earned him champion young athlete honours – expansive gestures and sometimes heated exchanges with officialdom are just some of the features that mark out his ultra competitive nature.    

 

"In rugby, in cycling, fishing and even in picking mushrooms, he wants to be the best," a close friend told AFP with a smile.

 

"At home with the Noves, the challenge is always there, one is obliged to always go forward, to never look behind."

 

Home life for the Noves, he and his wife Francoise, has been a pretty full occupation in itself.

 

They have three children, daughters Valerie and Julie and a son Vincent, who has embarked on a career in politics a subject where despite his Spanish grandfather's problems with the Franco regime Noves holds right wing views.

 

"I am somebody who recognises those who work," he told French newspaper Liberation in 2005.

 

"I had nothing; I went round collecting boxes in order to earn some money. My wife is an anaesthetist, it took 11 years of studying, she sacrificed her youth.

 

"During this time others took a more relaxed attitude, like smoking joints. During Christmas this year she spent sleepless nights at work.

 

"I want to say that today the right places more value on the importance of hard work."

 

Noves's passionate nature has at times landed him in trouble as was the case after the 2005 European Cup triumph over French rivals Stade Francais in Edinburgh when he felt the strong arm of the law as he tried to gain access to his son Vincent in the stands.

 

An incensed Noves was held for over half an hour minutes before being released having missed the presentation and with the Toulouse fans refusing to leave the ground till he was freed. 

 

On another occasion Noves surprised the Toulouse fans as he called his son-in-law Vincent Clerc off the pitch midway through a game even though the wing was neither unfit nor playing badly – simply his daughter Clerc's wife Valerie had gone into labour.

 

"In life certain things are much more important than a rugby match," said Noves.

 

"In this case it was Vincent, but if the same situation had occurred with another player, I would have acted in the same way.

 

"It's a fact of life, these are the simple things."