Durable prop Denis Avril, now 39 years of age, is still playing for unhappy Bayonne and now has been entrusted with the forwards in the wake of the sacking of two coaches and the departure of Jean-Pierre Elissalde in the last six months as well as their forwards coach Jean-Michel Gonzalez.

Didier Faugeron is the only member of the management who has survived the blood-letting and he and Avril will team up till the end of the season in the hope of saving the Basque club from relegation, a grim thought after last season's performance when they ended seventh in the Top 14.

Avril played for Biarritz from 1996 to 2008 when he moved to Bayonne. During his time at the 'other' Basques', Biarritz win the French championship three times. Avril was capped once for France - against Australia in 2005.

At the same time the great Philippe Sella has agreed in principle to a request by Agen's president  Alain Tingaud and will be returning to his old club as the director of sport. Sella, one of the legends of the game, played for France 111 times between 1982 and 1995, playing for Agen through those years.

The present coaches Christian Lanta and Christophe Deylaude made it known in mid-December that they would be leaving.