FFR advertise for new head coach to lead women's team

A recent job advert confirmed what had long been suspected in French rugby circles. The Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) is looking for a new coach to lead the women’s national team, after the Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz partnership led Les Bleues to their lowest Women’s Rugby World Cup finish since 2010.

The post-tournament debrief following England 2025 is not over, but already the French union is looking for a coach with “solid experience at a high level in rugby, ideally in the women’s game … [and who is] capable of bringing an ambitious and innovative vision to the development of the French women’s XV”, according to the job specification on the FFR website.

And it does not try to hide the FFR’s high ambitions. Whoever lands the job is expected to “contribute to the design, implementation, and management of an ambitious performance project aimed at leading the French Women’s XV to the World Cup title in 2029”.

But even though, “[t]he objective is the next World Cup,” as national technical director Olivier Lièvremont told AFP, the post is initially being offered on a two-year fixed-term contract, renewable for two more years. In total, the two-plus-two terms of the contract would take the post-holder through to the end of the 2029 tournament in Australia.

The FFR favours a single person to be in charge of the sporting project for the next two to four years, but has not ruled out a jobshare similar to now-dissolved Mignot-Ortiz partnership that had been in charge since January 2023, following a troubled 2022 World Cup campaign in New Zealand that culminated in the departure of then-manager Thomas Darracq.

Much of Mignot and Ortiz’s early work with Les Bleues was rebuilding relations with a deeply scarred team.

But news of the likely dissolving of their partnership after Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, when their contracts were up for renewal, has been swirling for some time.

In September, Midi Olympique reported that several coaches had already submitted CVs for the yet-to-be-advertised role, including successful women’s under-20 manager Caroline Suné.

Meanwhile, Bobigny’s well-regarded coach, former international Clémence Gueucier, Romagnat’s experienced manager Fabrice Ribeyrolles, and François Ratier, head coach of three-time Elite 1 champions Stade Bordelais and an ex-coach of Canada women, have all been linked to the vacant position.

The deadline for applications is November 3rd, while the new head coach is expected to take up their duties on January 5th, at France rugby headquarters in Marcoussis, just outside Paris.