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World Cup chaos: Mutiny call follows axing of French captain ahead of final pool match

France line up for their national anthem. (Photo by Koki Nagahama/Getty Images)

France’s Rugby World Cup campaign is threatening to descend into a farce after players were told to overthrow the coaching staff by controversial Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal, while skipper Guilhem Guirado has reportedly been relieved of his captaincy duties by management.

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Although they have already qualified for the World Cup quarter-finals prior to this weekend’s top-of-the-pool clash with England, France have been underwhelming thus far in the tournament, notching scrappy wins over minnows Tonga and the USA after edging out Argentina in their opening match last month.

According to The Telegraph, the three-time runners-up’s patchy form has led to suggestions of unrest within the national set-up, with Guirado reported to have lost confidence in head coach Jacques Brunel and assistant Fabien Galthie.

Midi Olympique has claimed that the 33-year-old will not start in Saturday’s match in Yokohama as a result of falling out with Brunel and Galthie.

Instead, it is believed that Racing 92 hooker Camille Chat – who has started the last two tests against Tonga and the United States – will don the No. 2 jersey.

Continue reading below…

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Midi Olympique is also reporting that the playing group is fully in support of Guirado, although it is understood that prop Jefferson Poirot will be asked to lead the side against England.

The news comes after a training session scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled at short notice.

Adding to the fallout within the national side is the involvement of Boudjellal, who has called for the players to “take control” against the coaching staff, who he believes are preparing Les Bleus for failure.

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The turbulence within the French squad echoes the troubles that France dealt with during the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, where then-head coach Marc Lievremont lost his power over his team following their shock 19-14 defeat at the hands of Tonga in their final pool match.

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The player-led side went on to reach the final of that tournament, going down 8-7 to the hosts in what remains their last appearance in a World Cup final.

During the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the French national football side had a civil war within their own ranks, with Patrice Evra leading a player-led revolt against star striker Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home for abusing head coach Raymond Domenech.

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Boudjellal wants the country’s rugby side to follow suit to help prevent what he believes to be an inevitable early exit from Japan.

“Take control guys, take the power, because there are coaches all over the place. Our team spirit is almost non-existent,” Boudjellal said in a video blog.

“Individually, we have players who are world class. Collectively, for several years, that hasn’t been the case.

“Since when have we been frightened against these teams [such as Tonga], who we respect, of course, but who aren’t on our level? Take control guys, because it is your history, your World Cup.

“You are there for your career and for your country. You are there for French rugby and to try to go as far as possible, to see if you can win this World Cup – but we will only get there if you take control.

“Our coaches who are there, I invite you to visit Japan, go and look around, treat yourself and leave the players to tell their own stories because for years I have not understood the game plan of this France team.

“Something is going wrong, so it’s over to you guys [the players]. Tell the coaches to go on holiday. Write your story yourself.

“There is a lot of experience, there are guys in this group who will certainly be major coaches in the future, so start to be a big coach today. Kick the coaches out, take control, tell your own story, because we are ready to follow you.”

The French coaching set-up is already under scrutiny, with Galthie set to overtake Brunel as head coach following on from this World Cup.

The 2002 World Player of the Year joined the French coaching ranks as Brunel’s assistant in April following a subpar Six Nations campaign, which included three losses and a record 44-8 thrahsing at the hands of this weekend’s opponents at Twickenham.

France’s pre-World Cup results improved since Galthie’s arrival, but morale within the squad has plummeted since a near-second half capitulation against Argentina, which almost led to a repeat of the 2011 loss to Tonga on Sunday.

A defeat to Eddie Jones’ side in four days’ time would pit France up against the winners of Pool D, which is shaping to be Wales, who defeated France 24-19 in their Six Nations opener in Paris earlier this year.

Conversely, victory would see them face the runners-up of that group, which looks set to be Australia, who prevailed 25-23 in their last encounter three years ago at the Stade de France.

With the fate of their playoffs to be decided come Saturday, all eyes will be on Brunel and his side as they face the media on Wednesday.

In other news:

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H
Hellhound 2 hours ago
Bok rule-benders are changing the game. They deserve respect

You want a lot of things that will never happen. You describe rugby League. You should go and watch that then. Rugby is supposed to be competitive. It's the opposition team that should figure out how to defend and turn it into an attack on the fly. The Boks play within the rules. Everyone says that kick off should have been a penalty. The law state that from a kick off it's a scrum. It's confusing as with mauls and rucks, the player has to be behind the kicker. The same does not hold true for kick offs. That law they can change, because the same rule should apply across the board for players to be behind the kicker. It's not the first time that the infield lineout has been used, only the first time in an international match. If I remember correctly, the Barbarians used it against England in 2021 or 2022 (under correction). It's also been used in SR during the 2000’s. There is just this big hoo haw because the Boks did it. If it was another team like the Irish or England or the French or someone, it would be innovative, genius and brilliant. The dummy the AB's did where a player broke to the right, acting like he had the ball, meanwhile the scrumhalfs ran down the sideline and scored. I don't hear you cry about that. That can be seen as cynical play and there is even a case for unsportsmanlike behaviour and at a minimum a yellow card. Yet there is silence from you about that. I on the other hand thought that was a great tactic. It's also not a new invention, but an old one. You only love rugby when it suits you. I don't care what new tactics teams use, or whoever the team is that is doing it. Every new invention or tactic or play that the coaches comes up with is great for rugby. It keeps it interesting. There is no law that prevents other coaches using the same tactics or create their own. It's up to coaches to come up with defense strategies to cut that down, and even retaliate against it. The game is never boring. It keeps evolving. People keep talking about rugby and all these things is what draw new fans. They don't want boring. They want innovative and fun. They want to hear the crash of bodies. They want to see the strength of the scrums. They want to see the speed, agility and flair of the players. The amazing passes and jukes or side steps. The only reason you are so up in arms is because the Boks did it and now you want it banned. The same rhyme over and over. Matt Williams wannabe. Nah, you don't love rugby or else you would enjoy the most exciting era yet in this lovely sport. Stars in so many national teams has never been more abundant nor was there so many teams that could beat each other on any given day. Not to even mention watching an era of the most controversial but most innovative and clever coach ever. A dynasty that's to last for a very long time even after he retires. Like him or hate him, his genius is undeniable and he is recognised world wide as the best coach in most countries by fans and pundits alike, even if they don't like him. Stop the hate and rather enjoy what's to come.

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