Justin Marshall will have his hands on the coaching reins of English rugby club Leeds after coach Phil Davies stood down yesterday.
Marshall, the former All Blacks halfback who joined the club this year after an illustrious career, will join fellow senior players Gordon Bulloch and Iain Balshaw in running
team training and selection in the short term.
The BBC website reported today that Davies, a former Welsh test player, stood down after Leeds suffered a miserable start to the season with the Headingley club losing all eight games in three different competitions.
Davies, who was appointed head coach in 1996, will remain as director of rugby.
It caps a busy time for Marshall with the 81-test veteran also named captain of the French Barbarians to play Australia A on November 1 in Bordeaux.
The French Barbarians have also selected former All Black prop Kees Meeuws, while French internationals Clement Poitrenaud and Pepito Elhorga will play at fullback and on the wing.
The team will be coached by Toulouse manager Guy Noves.
Team:
Clement Poitrenaud (Toulouse), Pepito Elhorga (France), Guillaume Bousses (France), Conrad Stoltz (South Africa), Sireli Bobo (Fiji), Jean-Frederic Dubois (Toulouse), Justin Marshall (New Zealand, captain), Pierre Rabadan (France), Gregory Patat (France), Julien Puricelli (France), David Couzinet (France), Mike James (Canada), Kees Meeuws (New Zealand), Benoit August (France), Yannick Forester (France).
Replacements:
Benjamin Boyet (France), Maleli Kunavore (Fiji), Dimitri Yachvili (France), Alex Manta (Romania), Nicolas Spanghero (Castres), Gregory Menkarska (France), Romain Terrain (France).
- NZPA
