Philippe Saint-André should have his first-choice assistant coaches for support when he takes over as French head coach after an agreement was reached between the FFR and Toulouse and Biarritz.
Forwards coach for the French champions Toulouse, Yannick Bru will fulfil the same role for the RBS 6 Nations, while Biarritz director of rugby Patrice Lagisquet is set to take charge of the backs.
And after a lot of discussions with Toulouse president René Bouscatel and the FFR, it would appear that Bru will be available to Les Bleus for the whole of the Six Nations, while remaining with in South West France for the remainder of the season.
Bouscatel said: “Yannick Bru will remain under contract at Toulouse until June but we will make him available to the FFR and the French national team for the training camps and French matches during the 2012 Six Nations.”
While Bru’s situation would appear resolved, Biarritz have yet to confirm a similar deal for Lagisquet.
Bru, who won 18 caps at hooker for Les Bleus, including captaining them on two occasions, said: “It’s a real relief. I’m very happy that the club accepted this compromise which will let me work with both parties.
“And I’m even more happy as it’s the best solution for everyone.”
