Shaun Edwards set to leave France role two months after Six Nations triumph

Shaun Edwards is set to leave his role as France’s defence coach, according to L’Équipe, just two months after the team secured a seventh Six Nations title. The French publication reports that Gerald Bastide has been identified as his replacement, with the change expected to take effect ahead of France A’s international against England A in Vannes on June 19.

Bastide, who served on Guy Noves’s coaching staff between 2015 and 2017 and has worked with clubs including Perpignan, has been in charge of the French women’s team’s defensive setup since January. His return to the senior men’s programme would mark a significant shift in the backroom structure assembled by head coach Fabien Galthie.

Edwards, 59, joined Galthie’s staff in November 2019 after 12 years with Wales, during which he won the Six Nations four times and claimed three Grand Slams. He was contracted with France until 2028, making the reported departure all the more unexpected.

The Wigan-born coach built his reputation as one of the finest defensive minds in the modern game during a decorated 17-year playing career with Wigan Warriors, London Broncos and Bradford Bulls, before moving into coaching with Wasps in 2001. He was later promoted to head coach and worked alongside Warren Gatland to transform the club into a trophy-winning outfit, claiming the Heineken Cup and three Premiership titles before the pair linked up with Wales and the British and Irish Lions.

Edwards has held discussions with the Rugby Football Union on multiple occasions about joining the England setup — most recently in 2022, before he signed a contract extension with France that same November. With his France tenure now apparently drawing to a close, the RFU is likely to revisit those conversations ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Richard Wigglesworth currently oversees England’s defensive operation, but Edwards’s availability will inevitably prompt fresh debate about Steve Borthwick’s coaching structure.