Shaun Edwards looks set to leave his role as France defence coach with immediate effect, with French reports saying Gérald Bastide is in line to replace him. The move comes even though Edwards is under contract until 2028, turning a routine summer staff review into a sudden change at the heart of the national team.

The timing matters because France are already preparing for a busy July, with an England A friendly followed by Nations Cup fixtures against New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Edwards was absent from the meeting in Narbonne where Fabien Galthié and his assistants discussed selection, adding to the sense that his departure is already being handled as a live issue rather than a distant possibility.

The report has spread more widely in France amid suggestions that Edwards has been pushed towards the exit, and L'Equipe said Galthié wants to freshen up his backroom team. That would be a striking call for a coach who helped France win three Six Nations titles, including the Grand Slam in 2022, and who was part of the staff that delivered the 2026 Six Nations title in March.

Even so, the recent championship did not hide the defensive cracks that appeared along the way. France conceded 50 points against Scotland and 46 against England in that campaign, numbers that will have sharpened the pressure on any review of the staff as the calendar moves quickly toward the July fixtures.

Edwards' standing in rugby makes the reported shift all the more notable. He is widely regarded as one of the finest defence coaches in the game, having also helped Wales win four Six Nations titles, three Grand Slams and reach two Rugby World Cup semi-finals, while his coaching resume includes a spell with Sir Ian McGeechan's British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2009.

Bastide, if appointed, would return to a role he held from 2015 to 2017 under Guy Noves. A move back to Wales looks unlikely because Steve Tandy has already brought in Peter Murchie as his defence coach, while England does not currently have an opening either, with Richard Wigglesworth already in post.

What remains unconfirmed is the formal status of Edwards himself: whether France have already completed the change or are still working through it. But with the Narbonne meeting held without him and reports in France pointing to Bastide, the backroom reshuffle appears to be moving toward a clean break before the next international block begins.