According to The Telegraph, the Oyonnax coach has reached an agreement with the XV de la Rose to become the coach of the national team’s defense, starting with the autumn tour. The RFU and the Pro D2 club would still have to reach an agreement. According to our information, the former Toulon player has a release clause in his contract against compensation, precisely to join his national team.
This would be a real bolt from the blue in Ain. According to information from the English daily Tea TelegraphJoe El Abd, head coach of Oyonnax, has reportedly reached an agreement with the RFU (English Rugby Union) to replace Felix Jones as the new defence coach of the XV de la Rose. He could take up his post as early as the autumn tour and would therefore leave USO without its main figure, just two months after the resumption of Pro D2.
The reason for this departure would be quite simple: Steve Borthwick and the former RCT player shared a room during their years at the University of Bath. Since then, they have remained very close to the point that the two men wish to work together with the departure of Felix Jones.
An agreement remains to be reached with the club
However, if an agreement has been reached between the English coach and his federation, there is still a negotiation to be conducted between the club and the RFU, Joe El Abd being engaged in Ain until June 2025. A situation which could quickly be resolved: according to our information, the former Toulon player has in his contract a release clause against compensation, precisely to join his national team.
Contacted by us, the Oyonnax club did not wish to comment on this information. As a reminder, England will play four test matches in November, against New Zealand (02/11), Australia (09/11), South Africa (16/11) and Japan (24/11). For its part, USO is preparing for its trip to face Provence Rugby, this Friday, in a necessarily particular context.
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