International rugby player and Trinity graduate Linda Djougang is to join French rugby champions ASM Romagnat 25-year-old Djougang began playing rugby in 2016 partaking in a game of social tag rugby upon the encouragement of a friend She won the Trinity Sports Person of the Year award in the same year she was nominated for the Irish Rugby Player of the Year at the Zurich Irish Rugby Players’ Awards was nominated for the Energia Women’s Rugby Award along with fellow internationals Stacey Flood and Sene Naoupu She was also named on the Best XV for the 2021 Women’s Six Nations Ireland finished third in this year’s Six Nations campaign beating Wales and Italy but losing to eventual runners-up France She came to College via the Trinity Access Programme she balanced course placements with training and matches for both Old Belvedere and DUFC Djougang came to Ireland at the age of nine In a statement on the Women’s Six Nations website Djougang said: “I am determined to be the best player I can be and working with the coaches at ASM Romagnat and being in their environment will help accelerate my development.” “Playing in the French league week in week out will be incredible and I am really looking forward to committing everything to this opportunity.” added: “This is a really positive move for Linda as she will be able to train full time in a professional environment and test herself regularly against some of the best players in the world … we have established a strong connection with the coaches in ASM Romagnat which will allow us to collaborate on Linda’s ongoing development.” the rural and rugby-playing heartland of the country upon the completion of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying tournament World Rugby Player of the Year Jessy Tremouliere headlines the France team that will compete at the Women’s Rugby Super Series in San Diego The two-time World Cup fullback will provide class and leadership for incoming coach Stéphane Eymard who takes over the team from Olivier Lievremont There will be no shortage of quality for Emyard to pick from France boast arguably the world’s best lock pair in the outrageously talented Lenaig Corson and powerhouse Audrey Forlani Safi N’Diaye is a household name in France who can play lock or loose forward with No8 Romane Ménager another who qualifies as world class more experimental but World Cup flyer Caroline Boujard is certain to feature as a foil for Trémoulière Five halfbacks are named with only one specialist midfielder in Gabrielle Vernier Marine Ménager is looking to follow her sister’s footsteps to stardom on the wing France have a bye in the first round of the round-robin tournament. They will play their first match against Canada on Tuesday, July 2. After that it’s a date with the World Champions New Zealand, followed by Six Nations rivals England and hosts USA. All matches will be broadcast live on FloRugby. Tickets are available now on the USA Rugby site Tags Western Conference leaders Utah carry a four-game win streak into their road game against DC … Découvrez les interviews d'avant-match de Karim Qadiri & Steeve Blanc-Mappaz Victoire des Rouge & Bleu face à Agen This weekend the Amazons Elite travel to Romagnat to face ASM Romagnat in the 6th day of the Elite championship Discover the team composition proposed by the staff: Get the lowdown on the woman who has led her country as a player and a coach Annick Hayraud oversees a France session (Getty Images) Who is Annick Hayraud: Ten things you should know about the France Women coach with more than 35 years of experience in the women’s game on and off the pitch Annick Hayraud was born on 9 September 1967 in Riom in central France Hayraud made her debut for top-flight side ASM Romagnat in 1986 She spent her entire club career with the club Hayraud also made her France debut in 1986 and would earn 65 caps across a 16-year career The women’s game was not integrated into French rugby’s governing body until 1989 so Hayraud entered a sport that was completely amateur This meant paying for her own tracksuit and staying in youth hostels ahead of games 5. She finished her playing career in 2002 with a stellar year. First, Hayraud was part of the French side that won the Grand Slam in the inaugural Women’s Six Nations. She then helped les Bleues finish third at the Rugby World Cup, which equalled their best finish. A post shared by Annick Hayraud (@annickhayraud) Hayraud became head coach of Ovalie Romagnatoise Clermont Auvergne (the rebranded iteration of ASM Romagnat) Hayraud has also worked as a socio-cultural facilitator at Riom’s town hall She was appointed France Women head coach in 2011 and won the Six Nations Grand Slam in spring 2014 but was replaced the following November by Karl Janik Hayraud began a second stint coaching the national women’s 15-a-side team in 2016 and guided them to another Grand Slam in 2018 Perennially the only female head coach in the Women’s Six Nations Hayraud takes inspiration from other pioneers such as Becky Hammon Download the digital edition of Rugby World straight to your tablet or subscribe to the print edition to get the magazine delivered to your door so who better to front a new look than England’s man… ©2025 SBG Companies Limited or its affiliated companies