Well, this is a little bit different!
French Rugby president Bernard Laporte has taken somewhat of an unorthodox step this afternoon as Les Blues continue to lick their wounds after a chaotic Six Nations campaign.
Seemingly very down in the dumps are our Gallic cousins and Laporte is now looking to gauge French amateur club's attitudes to the possibility of doing something that has never been done before.
In an letter sent to hundreds of members, Laporte has invited teams to put forward their opinions on the FRench national side being coached by a foreigner as they gear up to host the 2023 World Cup.
✉️ Le président de la FFR @BernardLaporte_ va solliciter l'ensemble des clubs de #RugbyAmateur à propos du #XVdeFrance par le biais d'un référendum.
Son courrier 👉🏻 https://t.co/6vUtTJLs01 pic.twitter.com/WZjcb6CEYf— France Rugby (@FranceRugby) March 29, 2019
Having sat in the hot seat himself during the 2003 and 2007 editions of the tournament, Laporte put to the clubs that whilst seeking a candidate who will uphold French values, their eyes must be trained on success in the years ahead.
The former Toulon and Stade Francais supremo reiterated his desire to create "a true democracy" with the French Federation and to that end has consulted clubs with regard to recruitment, highlighting that the appointment of foreign head coaches is common practice amongst other rugby nations.
Laporte ends the letter by confirming that he will stand by the results of the referendum.
This news comes on the back of suggestions that officials have already held discussions with current New Zealand born Wales coach Warren Gatland about the possibility of taking over from Jacques Brunel after this year's World Cup in Japan.
In recent days, our very own Ronan O'Gara has distanced himself from suggestions that he could be in line to take on a backroom role within the current French set-up, with the Munster man labelling the rumours "farcical".
Fellow Munster legend Paul O'Connell has also been the subject of conjecture after the announcement that the former Irish captain will leave his role as Stade Francais forwards coach at the end of the season.
