Wasps hooker Raphael Ibanez has been named as France captain for the forthcoming World Cup on home soil.
Ibanez, 34, won the vote over Fabien Pelous, who has been struggling with injury.
Ibanez has skippered Les Bleus 34 times since first taking the armband in 1997.
Lock forward Pelous will take over should Ibanez be required to leave the field during the tournament.
'Raphael will be our captain, it's a fact, you can write it,' France manager Jo Maso told reporters at the team's training camp outside Paris.
'We talked to both players,' said Maso. 'Solving the problem was easy because the two are good friends.'
