'They hurt me, and they're going to have to explain themselves' - ex-France coach Noves
Guy Noves said his only priority was the truth about his dismissal ahead of an employment tribunal in Toulouse 14 months after he was sacked as coach of France, he told a French national newspaper.
Noves – who turned 65 in early February – is claiming €2.9million in back pay on his reported €800,000-a-year contract, plus 1,800 hours overtime and damage to his reputation.
He has been preparing for his big day at the tribunal for some time. In a recent interview with Le Monde, he said: “For 14 months, I’ve been preparing for the fight of my life. It’s coming. That’s all I can think about.
“They hurt me, and they’re going to have to explain themselves.”
The tribunal, on Thursday, could scarcely come at a worse time for Bernard Laporte, the beleaguered President of the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR).
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The dreadful start to the 2019 Six Nations by France’s senior men’s team following a 2018 for which the word ‘dismal’ could have been invented; the marked increase in volume of questions over the national coach and his staff; and rumours of – another – player mutiny would be enough to have even the strongest rugby union president weeping quietly into his breakfast juice.
Laporte removed Noves from the France coach’s job after the November internationals in 2017, for which he had named nearly 70 players but failed to engineer a win in four matches. He left with a record of seven wins from 21 internationals – and his term ended with a run of six defeats and a draw.
Replacement Jacques Brunel, now has three wins from 13 in just over a year in the job. France’s last victory was against Argentina in November. Before that, it was England in the 2018 Six Nations.
The relationship between Laporte, elected President of the FFR in December 2016, and Noves had been, at best, frosty since Laporte was France coach and Noves in charge at Toulouse.
At first, Laporte had tried to insist everything in the Marcoussis garden was rosy. He took to Twitter to say: “Guy Noves has done a remarkable job as head of the French team. Without a shadow of a doubt I believe that today he’s the best coach for the national team. Rest assured, Noves will remain as coach.”
That apparent confidence didn’t last. Within a year, and despite further public displays of mutual appreciation, Noves was replaced by Brunel.
The former coach was later quick to question the motives behind his dismissal. He believes Laporte had plans to oust him before he was elected President of the FFR. In an interview with Le Monde shortly after he lost his job, he said: “It wasn’t my incompetence that drove me out of the federation.”
His lawyers added in a statement around the same time: “It is constant that Mr Bernard Laporte carried in the context of the electoral campaign that led him to become President of the FFR, the information that he would terminate Mr Guy Noves’ commitment as soon as he was elected, even if he had, before that deadline, sent a contrary message.”
Noves said he had learned of his removal via the media, and vowed to fight serious misconduct charges levelled against him by the FFR. One of the key claims in the allegations was that he, along with lieutenants Yannick Bru and Jeff Dubois – who have since settled their disputes with the FFR – failed to liaise with Top 14 clubs.
“I cannot understand why I will never be able to achieve the goals we set in 2016 when I took office,” Noves said at the time.
Coaching the national side was supposed to be the icing on the career cake for the former Toulouse boss, who was already the most successful club manager in the world when he left the Pink City for Marcoussis.
He told Le Monde his dream job had turned into a ‘little death’. Now, he says: “I have one priority: that the truth comes out.”
The serious misconduct charge – apparently for failing to face, let alone ease, deep-seated tensions between the national set-up and demanding, cash-rich Top 14 clubs – hurt him particularly, he said. “I don’t want people to say to themselves, when they see me: ‘What the hell did he do wrong?’. I don’t want this question mark.”
He was accused of failing to liaise with Top 14 clubs. Speaking in January 2018, he spoke of his surprise. “I have always opened up [France training ground] Marcoussis to the whole of French rugby whenever possible.
“Bernard Laporte seems to be saying I am responsible for a lack of relations between the clubs and the Federation and that they must now be re-established as a matter of urgency. This is perfectly false.”
He added: “When Laporte was coach [of France], I didn’t see him at Toulouse, even though the club was the main provider of players to the French national team.”
The tribunal sits in Toulouse – where Noves is a local hero – on Thursday. But a decision is not expected for several weeks. Even after a ruling is made, either side could appeal against it – suggesting that there is a long way to go before the case of Guy Noves v FFR is concluded.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments