Steffon Armitage has applied for a French passport

France head coach Philippe Saint-Andre has revealed Steffon Armitage has applied for a French passport in a bid to represent France at the next World Cup.
The Toulon flanker has five England caps but could benefit from a new loophole in the IRB eligibility laws and switch allegiances in time for the tournament which starts next September.
Such a switch was reported in The Rugby Paper on June 29 but nothing had been confirmed until Friday's revelation by Saint-Andre who included the Toulon star in his 74-man wider training squad.
“On this list there are three players who are not eligible for France as of yet – Armitage, Montpellier No.8 Alex Tulou and Bordeaux winger Blair Connor – but all three are in the process of getting a French passport,” revealed Saint-Andre.
Also in the list is Castres' South African-born scrum-half Rory Kockott would is eligible on residency rule since July and is tipped to earn his first Test cap for Les Bleus in November.