61.   Pierre Berbizier, hounded for making France play boring rugby, was replaced by Jean-Claude Skrela as French national rugby coach on Tuesday.

62.   Sella also believes that the political in-fighting of French rugby officialdom has had a detrimental effect on the national side.

63.   Sella has been the rock of French rugby.

64.   Stephane Ougier, a back with French rugby champions Toulouse, is to appear in court on a manslaughter charge following the death of a motorcyclist last month.

65.   Team manager Guy Laport said on arrival here from Canada that the huge gap between New Zealand and French rugby was evident every time the two countries met.

66.   The French rugby federation head said the new rules and other decisions made at the meeting were to be announced only at a news conference on Sunday.

67.   The French rugby team arrived in New Zealand on Tuesday to a Maori welcome by schoolchildren in Whangarei, where Wednesday they will play their opening match against Northland.

68.   The French rugby Federation has told Toulouse they cannot play Auckland to decide the best club in the world.

69.   The move was pushed through by French rugby federation president Bernard Lapasset, who has been at odds with Berbizier over the running of the national side.