Philippe Saint-Andre who is a former France Captain will take over from Marc Lievremont as the national France coach in December 2011, this is after the Rugby World Cup has finished in New Zealand. Saint-Andre who was a popular flair skipper played on the wing at AS Montferrand known today as Clermont and scored some 32 tries in his 69 internationals between 1990-1997. He is older at 44 than Lievremont who is 42, but still relatively young for a national coach.
Coaching Record
Philippe Saint-Andre started his successful coaching career at Gloucester in 1996 until 2002, with a couple of trophy wins the best being Zurich Championship winners in2001–02 and the C&G League Cup twice; 1997–98, 1998–99. He then had a period at Bourgoin between 2002 and 2004, when they were runners up in the French Challenge Yves du Manoir 2002 and 2003. He is probably best known in England for his time at Sale Sharks (2004-2009 when he turned them into a powerful outfit and brought through some big names in the game. The high point there was the winning of the Premiership title in 2006.
Toulon the big spending French outfit secured his services in 2009 and he has been building a strong team there thanks to the deep pockets of the club benefactor and President Mourad Boudjellal. The club reached its high point to-date by making the semi-finals of the French championship in 2010.
Lievremont who took over from Bernard Laporte as coach after the 2007 World Cup helped France to the Six Nations title and a Grand Slam in 2010, but has been seen as an erratic selector announced that he would stand down after the 2011 Cup. We feel sure the French public will look forward to their new coach taking the country forward with a distinct path making keeping them as a force in the national game.