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Paris - Former France skipper Raphael Ibanez will once again don his coach's hat from July to October with New Zealand provincial side Thames Valley.
Ibanez, 46, has worked as a television pundit since leaving Top 14 side Bordeaux-Begles in 2017 after five years of coaching.
In an interview with L'Equipe newspaper, the 98-times capped ex-hooker said he would help out at the Heartland Championship side based in Paeroa, south Auckland, as well as taking part in some training sessions with Counties Manukau.
Counties Manukau play in the higher-level Mitre 10 Cup and have Super Rugby and All Blacks stars Kieran Read and Sonny Bill Williams on their books.
"I'm going there with a very enthusiastic spirit, with the idea of taking on board as many things as possible," Ibanez said.
"I'm going there to discover their rugby from the inside. I'm very interested in finding out about the links between schools and clubs."
