France name current Stade Bordelais’ manager as new women's head coach

The Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) has named current Stade Bordelais’ manager François Ratier as the new head coach of France’s women’s national squad, taking over from Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz.

The post-tournament debrief following Les Bleues’ fourth-place finish at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 was still in progress when the FFR announced in October it was inviting applications for a national team 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”.

Ratier’s appointment was confirmed on Tuesday 26th November, following a round of interviews with six shortlisted candidates: Bobigny manager Clémence Gueucier, Romagnat boss Fabrice Ribeyrolles, current coach of the under-20 women’s team Caroline Suné, defence co-ordinator for France age-grade teams Gérald Bastide, and the outgoing Mignot.

In a statement confirming the appointment, FFR president Florian Grill said: “François Ratier’s appointment comes at an exciting time for women’s rugby and for Les Bleues: record stadium attendance, historic TV audiences, and a steady increase in the number of registered players.

“His arrival is perfectly in line with this momentum and brings us tremendous collective energy to support the spectacular growth of our sport.”

Ratier will officially take up his post on January 5th, and his first game in charge will be Les Bleues’ Six Nations opener against Italy on April 11th.

He 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”.

The 53-year-old’s CV ticks all the boxes demanded by the job advert. A former winger, who played for Soyaux-Angoulême in the 1990s, he followed up his playing career with an impressive track record as a coach.

Ratier was coach of Canada’s women’s national team when they reached their first World Cup final, in France in 2014, eliminating Les Bleues in the semi-finals. Two years later he was named interim coach of Canada’s men’s squad, following the departure of New Zealander Kieran Crowley.

He moved into a training and development role with the Canadian Federation, held the position of general and technical director of rugby in Quebec, and coached the Toronto Arrows team in Major League Rugby, before the franchise disappeared in 2023.

He returned to France to take charge at Stade Bordelais, who had recently been crowned French champions for the first time — and guided them to two more titles in as many seasons.

Ratier had signed a contract extension with the three-time champions last Spring, but had a clause included in the contract allowing him to leave if the national coach’s job became available.

His step-up to the big job at FFR’s headquarters will be made simpler because he has already worked with a large portion of the current national team.

Bordeaux supplied the largest contingent of players to the World Cup squad — including Agathe Gérin, Annaëlle Deshaye, Madoussou Fall Raclot, Morgane Bourgeois, and Carla Arbez.

But his first task, before he officially moves into his office at Marcoussis, will be to assemble his coaching staff, led by two assistants. The FFR has made it clear that it wants to return to a more ‘traditional’ coaching structure.

FFR vice-president Jean-Marc Lhermet, who was on the interviewing committee said: “We welcome François Ratier, whose extensive experience in French and international women’s rugby, combined with his ability to rally people around an ambitious project, perfectly matches the requirements of the French Women’s XV.

“I should like to sincerely thank Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz for their work: they have contributed greatly to the popular and structural success of women’s rugby, with a fabulous momentum during the last World Cup in England. We now have a solid foundation on which to build.

“Finally, I would like to thank all the candidates for the quality of their applications and their interest in the French Women’s Rugby Union project, which is a sign of its strong appeal.”