Gaelle Mignot announced as new joint head coach of France Women

Former Grand Slam winner Gaelle Mignot has been announced as the new joint head coach of France alongside David Ortiz.

The duo replace Thomas Darracq, who has left the role for family reasons after guiding France to third at the 2021 Rugby World Cup.

Mignot skippered France to Grand Slam victory in the 2014 Women’s Six Nations, scoring two tries against England in their opening game.

The hooker also captained France to the title in 2016 and will look to lead them, alongside former Agens defence coach Ortiz, to their first Championship since 2018 when the TikTok Women’s Six Nations returns in March next year.

Darracq had stepped up to become head coach/selector at the end of May having worked in a supporting role during the side’s TikTok Women’s Six Nations 2022 campaign.

France finished second behind England before Darracq took over as head coach, guiding them to four wins and three losses during his tenure.

His first match in charge was a World Cup warm-up match against Italy in Nice which Les Bleues comfortably won 21-0 before tasting defeat a week later as Italy earned revenge with a 26-19 win.

At the World Cup, France opened the tournament with a 40-5 win over South Africa before losing 13-7 to England.

They ensured their qualification for the knockout stages with a 44-0 win over Fiji before defeating Italy comprehensively to reach the semi-finals.

There they took on hosts New Zealand, losing 25-24 in the final seconds before bouncing back to defeat Canada 36-0 and ensure they finished third for the seventh time at a World Cup, also securing third in the world rankings.

Ortiz and Mignot joined Darracq’s coaching staff before the tournament in New Zealand with Mignot focusing on scrums and contact areas while Ortiz oversaw the defence and lineout.