Romain Ntamack, the opener of the XV of France for the first match of the Tournament against England, February 2, 2020. -

Aaron Favila / AP / SIPA

The National Rugby League has seized the Council of State in the dispute between it and the French Rugby Federation concerning the provision of internationals in the fall, the NRL announced Thursday.

“The final attempt at conciliation triggered by the LNR and which took place on Monday, September 21 between the League and the Federation on the international calendar of autumn 2020 did not make it possible to find an agreement (...) The LNR therefore filed a summary appeal with the administrative judge ”, explains in a press release the body which manages professional rugby in France.

Dialogue of the deaf 

The leaders of the Top 14 and the FFR disagree on the duration of the provision of the XV of France to internationals for the international autumn window scheduled from October 24 to December 6.

The FFR requires the benefit of internationals for six matches, the LNR and the clubs only agree to five matches, even though the championship will continue to take place in parallel.

A final conciliation took place on Monday and the FFR notably proposed to "cap, in agreement with the coach, the selection of French internationals to five match sheets" when, for their part, the LNR and the Top 14 clubs wished to propose four maximum weeks of availability of their internationals.

According to the

20-minute information

, Bernard Laporte and Serge Simon, both present at the meeting with the League, never intended to give up anything on the six games organized this fall.

Represented by Toulouse and Racing, the Top 14 clubs, for their part quickly rejected the Federation's proposal, after consultation with all the major international suppliers.

The breakdown of this impossible conciliation was formalized on Tuesday by telephone, while the second meeting which was to be held had to be canceled due to the detention of Laporte and Simon.

The NRL denounces a unilateral decision 

"The FFR has decided to schedule six matches of the XV of France, without any agreement related to the adaptation of the FFR-LNR convention, and without this corresponding to an obligation arising from the extension of the international window voted last July 30 by World Rugby ”, details the League, which has therefore gone on the attack.

The XV of France must play six matches, the first against Wales (October 24) in preparation for the shock against Ireland the following week, to complete the 2020 Six Nations Tournament, interrupted by the pandemic.

The Blues will then take part in four matches counting for the Autumn Nations Cup, a new competition launched this season with eight teams, those of the Tournament plus Fiji and Georgia.

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