New France coach out to end slump

PARIS: New France coach Jacques Brunel told AFP that his immediate ambition is to win the Six Nations and end the negative spiral which has enveloped the struggling national team.

Bordeaux boss Brunel, 63, takes over from Guy Noves who became the first French coach to be sacked on Wednesday after a meagre seven wins from 22 matches alongside 14 defeats and a humiliating home draw with 2019 World Cup hosts Japan.

Under his watch, France lost six consecutive games between June and November this year.

“Our aim is to win the Six Nations,” former Italy coach Brunel told AFP.

“Perhaps in the past, we were too focused on winning the World Cup and not enough on the present moment and that is the Six Nations. Every year, France must be competitive for the final victory.”

Brunel cautioned against making the same errors which jinxed Noves who called up 74 players during his time at the helm.

“There are still two years before the World Cup. For the Six Nations, we must take the best players, the fittest players. In any team, you need a mix of young and more experienced players.

“There are quality young players — but you have to find that balance.”

Brunel joins the national set-up from Top 14 side Bordeaux-Begles just five weeks before France face Ireland in their Six Nations opener.

His contract stretches to the 2019 World Cup. AFP