French look to net shirt sponsor deal

Marcoussis - France are seeking to rake in a sponsorship deal worth up to €10 million for the national team's shirt, French Rugby Federation vice-president Serge Simon said Tuesday.

Simon said the federation had told its main partners of its plans to net a shirt sponsor for the first time at a dinner at its headquarters at Marcoussis, just outside Paris.

Potential top line sponsors include bank Societe Generale, telecoms firm Orange, sports kit manufacturers Adidas and auto giant BMW, Simon revealed, adding proposals had yet to be formalised but that the federation hoped for a deal "as soon as possible".

France is alone among the world's major rugby-playing nations yet to find a shirt sponsor.

The cash accruing from an eventual deal would go into a national development fund to develop the grassroots game at club level as well as the women's game.