Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal confirms signing of Bernard Laporte as head coach – Rugby
French Rugby Union club, Toulonnais, commonly known as Toulon, has named Bernard Laporte as the successor for the club’s outgoing head coach, Philippe Saint-Andre.
Toulon’s president, Mourad Boudjellal, has announced his decision to appoint Laporte as the new head coach of the club on Monday, September 12.
Boudjellal further added that Laporte has agreed to join Toulon on a two-year deal. He also announced that Toulon’s upcoming weekend encounter against Bordeaux-Begles will be the last match for Saint–Andre as the head coach of the club.
A couple of weeks earlier, Philippe Saint-Andre, was appointed the new head coach of the French national Rugby Union team in place of Marc Lievremont.
Lievremont’s current contract will end at the end of the ongoing 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) tournament. Toulon has agreed to release the Saint–Andre so that he can take charge of the national side.
The 47-year-old is a former French professional rugby union player. He started his professional senior rugby club career for the Gaillac in 1980. In 1984, he joined the Bordeaux-Begles, where he remained until his retirement from the game as a player in
1993.
Laporte started his coaching career during the 1993/94 season with Begles. In 1995, Paris based Stade Francais appointed him as their head coach.
In 1999, Laporte was name as the head coach of the French national Rugby Union team. He became the first coach of the national side, who did not represent Les Bleus in an international game. He remained in charge of the national side until the end of their
2007 RWC campaign.
Laporte’s eight-year tenure as head coach of the France’s team makes him one of the most successful coaches of the country. During his tenure, France has won the Six Nations title four times, which includes wining two Grand Slams title in 2002 and 2004 respectively.
At the end of the France 2007 RWC campaign, in which they finished fourth in the tournament, Laporte was appointed as the French Sports minister.
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