Former All Blacks head coach Ian Foster and his assistant Joe Schmidt have been linked to a role at French Top 14 side Montpellier, according to reports.
Montpellier coach Richard Cockerill was fired over the weekend following the team’s sixth straight defeat which sees them languishing at the bottom of the table. Disgraced former French rugby federation president Bernard Laporte, was handed a two-year suspended sentence for corruption last year, was named as the director of rugby and has brought in Brive coach Patrice Collazo as the head coach.
According to French newspapers L’Equipe and Midi Libre, both Foster and Schmidt were on the short-list for the head coaching role with Schmidt remaining the preferred option to replace Collazo.
Foster’s All Blacks side fell just short of claiming a fourth World Cup title after going down 12-11 to the Springboks in Paris. Scott Robertson now takes over as All Blacks coach.
Talking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast earlier this month, Foster said he wants to continue coaching but said he hasn’t talked to anyone, including Rugby Australia after the departure of Eddie Jones.