JAMES HARRINGTON
FRENCH COLUMN

That’s it. A French era is over. Former France and Toulouse coach Guy Noves officially announced his retirement this week, nearly two years after he was last seen squatting gnomically at pitchside.
The long-awaited statement provided a moment of closure – but no end to the bitterness over the sudden end of his tenure as France coach, a job he finally accepted nearly a decade later than he should have. There can be no doubt Noves is still livid over his sacking at the end of December 2017, a month after his France side escaped with...