Saint-Andre was joint coach with Laurent Seigne who retains his post.

The decision was announced by club president Pierre Martinet who admitted it was SaintAndre's apparent desire to take on the Wales job that made up his mind.

"You don't just dump your colleagues to go to Wales," said Martinet at a press conference. "It's really the last straw that broke the camel's back."

He made it clear he would not be dismissing Seigne who is a close friend of Saint-Andre and who, it is believed, could also be part of any management team with Wales.

Martinet said: "Our coach Laurent Seigne has a contract that runs until the end of next season - Laurent Seigne has no reason to leave the club."

Saint-Andre said: "I heard what he (Martinet) said. I have not heard anything like that before.

"A club and a team are more important than any one individual. Sometimes a coach or a director gets sacked for bad results. That is not the case here.
"I have always said we have great players, a great team. I have nothing else to add."