Arriving this summer in Bayonne as director of rugby and under contract at Aviron until 2029, Laurent Travers (57 years old) could nevertheless soon leave the Basque Country to join Fijdi. The former manager and president of Racing 92 was recently approached by the future opponent of the French XV, looking for a French technician.
The next time the French XV faces Fiji, Laurent Travers could appear on the scoresheet, but in the opposite camp. On the sidelines of the match between the Blues and the Fijians, Saturday evening at Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux – second meeting for Fabien Galthié’s men as part of the autumn tour after last Saturday’s defeat against South Africa at the Stade de France – our colleagues from L’Equipe tell us that the Fiji management has approached the Bayonne rugby director since this summer.
To take over from former Australian footballer Mick Byrne – who will take his place on the bench and will still lead the team on Saturday in Gironde against the French – at the head of this selection which historically has many players playing in the Top 14, and more generally in Europe, the Flying Fijians would like to succeed in convincing a French technician.
Will the electric climate in Bayonne make Travers want to take up the challenge?
It is precisely with this in mind that Fiji would have thought of Travers, who remained for ten years at Racing 92 where he had held the position of manager for a long time and had even sat for a time in the president’s chair, between July 2023 and December 2024. According to the daily, contacts were established between the former hooker and the future opponent of the XV of France, Saturday evening in Bordeaux.
The knowledge of the very high level of Travers, crowned champion of France twice (with Castres then later with Racing) as well as his experience of European rugby, he who led the Racingmen to the final of the Champions Cup three times, would make the current rugby director of Aviron, 5th in the Top 14, the ideal coach in the future, in the eyes of the Fijians.
Travers is under contract at Bayonne until June 2029 but the dissensions between Bayonne president Philippe Tayeb and coach Grégory Patat could make the man who was nevertheless presented as the chief architect of the club’s new project around him want to be tempted by the Pacific.
