Novès complains about calendar

Toulouse coach Guy Novès has repeated his view that the French rugby season should be revised in the future.

Toulouse coach Guy Novès has repeated his view that the French rugby session should be revised for future seasons. Toulouse, who are top of the Top 14 table, were without 10 of their internationals over the weekend due to the Six Nations.

Novès believes that the current system of having club and international games on the same weekend is detrimental to French rugby.

He has also joined the call from various quarters around for the reduction in the number of matches players must line up for in any given season.

“I hope that one day the clubs that work hard to have quality players can use them, ” he told lesite.

“Alternatively we'll have to do like the English and have squads of 45 contracted professionals. That would impossible today,” he said.

The multiple trophy-winning coach believes that clubs are being forced to recruit foreign players to compensate the absence of their local stars.

Ironically, the clubs that 'suffered' most from the clash win the Six Nations, Toulouse, Clermont and Stade Français, all won their round 8 games.

Novès believes that while his side was able to win without their international players (at home against Montpellier), the result would not have been the same if the game had been a semi-final or a final.