Ex-France hooker Dal Maso takes over as Brive forwards coach

Brive-la-Gaillarde - Former France hooker Marc dal Maso was named on Tuesday as forwards coach of newly-promoted Top 14 side Brive.

The 52-year-old, who won 33 caps as a player and featured in the 1999 World Cup final, replaces Didier Casadei who was axed by the club after 10 years in the role.

Dal Maso, who spent last season at Toulon, will team up with head coach Jeremy Davidson who guided Brive to victory in their Top 14 playoff with Grenoble.

Dal Maso was a member of Eddie Jones' coaching staff when the Australian was in charge of the Japan national team, culminating in a famous win over South Africa at the 2015 World Cup.

At the end of 2015, Dal Maso revealed that he had Parkinson's disease, resulting in brain surgery last year. In October, he was declared fit to train again.