Former France scrum half Fabien Galthié will replace Jacques Brunel as the country's head coach after this year's Rugby World Cup, French Rugby Federation chief Bernard Laporte has said.
"I've named Fabien Galthié as coach," Laporte told French newspaper Berry Republicain.
Galthié played 64 times for France and captained the side to a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2002 and also led them at the 2003 World Cup.
Brunel's contract expires at the end of the World Cup and amateur clubs had voted against the idea of bringing in a foreign coach in a referendum initiated by Laporte earlier this month.
The Rugby World Cup begins on Sept. 20 in Japan and France begin their campaign a day later against Argentina in Pool C.
Galthié was recently coach of Toulon, guiding to them to a Champions Cup quarter-final last season where they lost to Munster.
He previously coached Stade Francias to the Heineken Cup final in 2005 where they lost to Toulouse and subsequently Montpellier to the Top 14 final in 2011.
