New FFR-LNR agreement brings mixed news for France's July opponents

Change is coming to the agreement between the French Rugby Federation and the French National Rugby League for the July window, but not for the window’s entirety.

A new agreement was announced on Tuesday, recognising the new global rugby calendar and the importance of the July Test window in building Les Bleus into potential Rugby World Cup champions.

However, with the Top 14 final fixture still just six days before round one of the new Nations Championship, selection limitations for that round persist.

That means France’s July 4 matchup with New Zealand will again feature an understrength France outfit, before Fabien Galthie’s squad is restored to its full complement for rounds two and three. France’s July schedule is New Zealand, Australia, and then Japan.

The absentees will, of course, be the Top 14 finalists, meaning Galthie’s selection policy will need to be adaptable, as confirmation on availability won’t be set until shortly before the team flies out.

Another complication for Galthie is that he will need to reach agreements with clubs on a case-by-case basis regarding player availability, as the new agreement maintains an emphasis on player welfare in what can be an 11-month-long season for French players.

The agreement is the result of nine months of discussion and will apply for the 2026-2031 period.

“It’s the right compromise to be able to have the best league in the world and the France national team in a position to win a Rugby World Cup,” the French Rugby Federation and the French National Rugby League said in a joint statement.

“It’s a principle of intelligence and co-operation between the France coaches and the club coaches.”

The full agreement will be ratified, officially adopted, and released on February 4.

The announcement comes as good news for Antoine Dupont fans in Australia and Japan, while New Zealand fans will have to wait and see how the superstar’s currently table-topping Toulouse team ends their season before getting excited about any potential debut on New Zealand soil.

New Zealand hosted an understrength French team in 2025, completing an unconvincing series sweep that ended a series of defeats to begin the 2020s.

Australia are on a three-match losing skid against France since their home series win over the team in 2021, having dominated the rivalry throughoutt he preceeding decade.

Japan are yet to beat France in a Test match, but the Brave Blossoms have recorded one draw against Les Bleus, a 23-23 result in Paris. That performance was masterminded by then-Japan head coach Jamie Joseph, who is now in the running for the All Blacks‘ top job.